My God Bush was an idiot!

There are still days when I stop dead in my tracks and think to myself: My God George W. Bush was an idiot. Did we really let that happen… not once but twice? Margaret, do you ever have thoughts like that? I mean it’s not like we didn’t know it. We watched it happen. Had we really become so disconnected from our government or otherwise unable to control our elected officials?

George Bush didn’t even have the simple command of the English language that we would expect from a high school graduate much less a Yale scholar. Misunderestimated? The human being and fish can coexist peacefully? Put food on your family? Is our children learning?

But maybe I’m being too hard on the guy. After all, he did have his hands full with taking us to war and all. And understanding the subtle relationship between nouns and verbs – not to mention the complex differences between lungs and gills – really is a lot to ask from a Yale graduate.

But now we have a smart, well spoken, well intentioned statesman in the oval office and you would think someone – to use a phrase from my son-in-law – “found a turd in the punch bowl”. Rush and company actually think it is a bad thing that he is so popular around the nation and around the world. They make fun by calling him the Messiah and a Rock Star. The very idea of a nation united behind its leader is just more than they can stand.

Margaret, I know you hate that part about a turd in the punch bowl, but even you have to admit someone really needs to light a match in the Republican cloakroom. The smell is getting to be too much.

Under Bush we became a nation that condoned torture. America. Pro-torture. It really happened. But now the United States is seeking a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council. This is a departure from the Bush administration, which was often critical of the group. Did you know that? I didn’t. Never in my life did I imagine that we didn’t have a seat at that table much less a President who was evidently proud of that accomplishment.

Susan Rice, Obama’s pick for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, says the council needs to be “balanced and credible” to help people suffering from abuse and oppression around the world.

“The U.S. is seeking election to the council because we believe that working from within, we can make the council a more effective forum to promote and protect human rights,” she said in a state department release.

Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell recently told a reporter that he didn’t think Americans really wanted Obama to shut down Guantanamo. Rush Limbaugh is still saying if Obama fails, America wins. Honestly folks, it really is time to start paying attention again. We elected Obama and that was a very good thing, but I am only now just fully realizing how bad it had gotten in this country. Roll up your sleeves because President Obama is going to need all the help he can get.

When Rush Limbaugh stands up, we need to insist that he sit down. When Ann Coulter writes a book, we need to let it collect dust on the shelf. When Mitch McConnell tells us that torture is still needed, we need not be shocked – we need to be outraged. And when Cheney offers an opinion we need to hide the punch bowl and direct him to the nearest men’s room.

Actually Mitch, now that I think of it, you’re right. We’d like to keep Guantanamo open, but we would like to replace its current occupants with you, Cheney, Rush and that Cantor kid from Virginia.

An America for human rights and a President who prefers to take the time to know what he is talking about before he speaks… I just hope I don’t wake up from this marvelous dream.

Sleep well Margaret. Tomorrow we have a lot of work to do. Really. I mean it.

Responses

We had a GREAT dinner tongiht and it was super easy! Did you know that Publix will steam shrimp for you when you buy it? So tongiht, I had them steam 1/2 pound of shrimp with garlic butter. Came home and chopped up fresh mushrooms, zucchini, and red onions and sauteed them in light olive oil then sauteed some grape tomatoes too. Served up with angel hair pasta and a garlic butter sauce YUMMMMMM

To all of you that think that it is Bush’s fault for the economy, you are ignorant. Did you forget about Clinton’s free trade agreement? Tell me why a barrel of oil costs almost $200 and we export a bushel of wheat for $7! That makes a lot of sense. I bet gas prices would go down if we sold wheat for $200 dollars a bushel!!!! It has to be even exchange of goods and services!

Sometimes you have to fight terrorists with terror! You may have heard about the World Trade Center!! But I’m sure those type of people will just tell us what we want to know, if we ask nicely!

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Wow. You are extremely misinformed about some basic facts, such as the one that Bush kept us safe for the last 8 years. I wasn’t a fan of his economic policies, but he kept us safe by pouring water over the head of 3 terrorists. If THAT is terrorism, so is spanking your child. I hope nobody on this page has ever done that…

Furthermore, just like YOU have the right to say whatever you want, Rush, Coulter, Hannity, and anyone else on the right can say whatever they’d like. They call it like they see it, just like you do. They don’t agree with Obama’s progressive, government-takeover policies (which are an extension of Bush’s), and neither are they. For all of you ranting of how Bush tripped with the English language, Obama sounds like a fool whenever he goes off script. Have you heard the clip of him stammering for 8 minutes straight when he was visiting Iraq as a candidate? And you think Bush is an idiot??

Your first statement tells it all. Obama did not run against Bush. He ran against McCain. I did not see Bush on the ballet anywhere. McCain lost not Bush. Everything is about Bush bashing / hating and anything and everything about this administration is overlooked and unquestioningly given support even if it is utter nonsense.
Yes the prior administration overspent but what is going on with this double double downing on the debt. The promised line by line “no pork” went out on the first budget go ’round. They did not even need to pass that bill because the system is set to use a budget continuation bill that would have funded the government at the prior level (aka. without all the added pork). But no…blame Bush and we can roll in pork and take no responsibility for any of it.

Bush lost and our country and the world is a better place because of it.

Teleprompter: Joking? Compared to Bush, even the goofs done by Obama are intelligent.

Torture: “Don’t think so” When people say that I think they need to be waterboarded. You might want to listen to those who interrogated the prisoners. Torture got less information, slower than the usual interrogations.

Apologizing: Two people get in an argument. At some point, I hope they come to their senses and apologize for their part of any problem. As a teacher, that is what I work with students on – it works. I expect the same of my country. The USA has messed up – IRAQ, being a case in point (WMD).

Book: Obama wrote a book and people read it. Should you decide to write, you have that option. Being able to write is what America stands for. What you or I decide to read is also what the USA stands for.

I appreciate Obama as President. I am offended that people did not take Bush to task for the fiscal irresponsibility which caused the economic crash which Obama is charged with getting us out of.

Why have we spent Trillions of dollars on the war in IRAQ? Please explain. That money could have helped with health care, education, etc.

Helen…isn’t it wonderful that we live in a country that allows old woman to speak there minds and be seen in public. Seems all of the Presidents supports are so angry. They just seem determined to get even and exact their pound of flesh from the people that there to stupid to see they were right all along. You seem more concerned about the folks in the middle east and the rest of the world then you do about your own country. Our current leadership is taking the country down a road that the rest of our allies are begging us not to do. So what is up with that? If their systems is so good why would they not like us to join them in the “fun”. Sure the president sounds great when he is on the teleprompter and reading a prepared speech, but he sure does put his foot in his mouth with lots of hims and haws when he is without his handlers. I won’t even say that any of the past administrations have done everything right, but I do not want my president apologizing to the world for my country. We have shed to much blood fighting for the freedom of so may others to be placed in that position. Torture…I don’t think so. Do you really think you will seem men with their heads being cut off in those pictures of “prisoner abuse”? Helen maybe the things we do are not pleasant but they do not even approach what the rest of the world will do in normal daily life like stoning a woman to death for committing adultery. Love and peace is not practiced anywhere but here. The man in the oval office has nothing and I mean NOTHING in common with the silent majority of Americans. Not many have written one book about their lives let alone two. Besides that he has not done anything in his life that would even warrant a paragraph in the Chicago Tribune.

MY dears i loved this post!! i am a 14yr old kid from TN and i am proably one of the smartest people in this republican hell hole. haha i just wanted to type you a comment to let you know there ought to be more and more people in this country that are as intelligent and as outspoken as you! keep it up hopefully more and more people will realize the wonderful president we finally have 🙂

Ancestors from both sides of my family came from Wales. We have seen the ships’ passenger records. One town in western Wales is purported to have the longest name in the English language. Many don’t like English. When Brits entered souviener stores, patrons reverted to Gaalic.

Werner, those pigeon suggestions sound good. Arabs are as nice as any other people, but the only person from the Middle East who lives here is a ninety plus year old Syrian lady. Omaha has an Iraqi community. Maybe I should check one of their restaurants.

Raji, I am a clean plate person as long as it doesn’t have mushrooms. I pick them out of my food if my wife sneaks them in.

Today, I am trying to decide whether or not to plant peas, radishes, etc in our garden. A week ago, I was cross country skiing, and it is 24 right now with a forcasted high in the sixties. The ground may still be a little cold.

Ha. They are still gone. Maybe they were finally hauled off to the old folks home and we’ll never hear from them again. That would make me very happy. Stupid fat socialists! And I don’t care if you all don’t like me. I don’t like you.

Hey folks, don’t thank me – I found it on Andrew Sullivan’s blog – his recommended “mental health break”. Like you, I sat and cried through the whole thing – upset the dogs too, when I leapt to my feet, cheering, clapping, and whistling. . . that’s a keeper

When I was in high school, I had many pen-pals. The old fashioned kind, before the internet was publicly available I used to wait in anticipation for each letter to arrive, and was never disappointed!

From those came many unusual names and unusual handwriting. I was always curious to know how they pronounced their names. Sometime we would exchange cassette tapes, too. (not having lost all my hearing yet, this was a great way for me to learn proper pronunciations of their names and words.)

I quickly learned to decipher European handwriting, as it is very distinctive from American handwriting.

The pen-pal I had the longest (for 8 years) was named Rudiger. My friends used to tease me and call him Rudabager.

Now, with the advent of the internet, it’s so easy for kids today to interact with each other across oceans. But personally, nothing beats a letter in the mail with a foreign postmark!

FEarless- I expect ypu are a juvenile conservative deliquent sayint that about M&H in your post. I would lilke to be around when youreach that age. They a re two articulate educated ladies who speak their minds. When y ou get to be that age, that is if you live to be that old I would expect to find you blithering lilke a two year old. Just because we have reached an oder age that you, doesn’t mean we have turned into mindless idiots.

Mary Alice-your comment on name change brings back a memory of a cloolllege class. A young man had an unusual name that was a little diffiicult to proonoounce. The professor never called him y name once for the wh ole semester. Would point and say “you there’. I considered that extemely humiliating and rude. Tho I never did know the boy, I learned a good lesson. FRom that day on I have always attempted to give a person the dignity of pronouncing his name properly.

Both of you need some lessons in good manners.
But what else can we expect from trols.

I have family in Scotland who all speak Scots Gaelic. And spell their names in gaelic. oy! Of course, nothing beats Welsh. No vowels – or at least, none discernible to english speaker. I guess everyone’s name is funny to someone who doesn’t speak/know the language. . .

Greytdog, my husband showed that video to me and I was laughing the whole time, watching Simon chew on his very big foot. Seems he must’ve fallen in love with her. Check out 4:00. I’ve never seen him look so wistful.

I’ve got Dutch relatives. Their last name is Hulstein, and some of them raise cattle. Many German-Americans live here, but some of the hardest names to spell are the Icelandic’s.

The name of one of my high school teachers was Vada Podendorff. I also knew someone named Darl Finsterwaald.

GreydogtA, I don’t think Obama was ruthless. He was just doing his job. Yes there is a difference between ruthlessness and cowboying, but not always. In this case, Bush would have approved the shooting as Obama did. It is another case of their similar behavior in office.

I like Cluster Fudge. Some may be in my freezer now.

That was funny Honolulu Sally. So was the Easter Bunny joke. My parents made us eat anything we shot. I developed a liking for pigeons. We dressed them and fried them.

Werner, I was trained, as a Customer Service Rep, to at least attempt to pronounce foreign names. Once I got a call from a person with a Slavic name that started with about 6 consonants before the first vowel. I just took a deep breath and pronounced only the last consonant before the vowel. My customer was speechless for a second then asked,” How in the world did you ever get that right?” When I told him, he just cracked up laughing.

After seeing the ice cream names, Whirled Peas, I will never think of ice cream in quite the same way! LOL!

Regarding names: Sheesh, 2/3 of the *American* names I come across are unpronouncable. It’s all about what you’re used to.

That said…. Is it just me, or are Dutch names particularly…um…goofy-sounding? Right now I’m researching a book on Suriname (where they speak Dutch), and I keep coming across names that make me snicker. (Not in a mean way. Just in a silly way.)

Americans, I challenge you to say “Wim Hoogbergen” with a straight face.

This is a true account recorded in the Police Log of Sarasota, Florida…
An elderly Florida lady did her shopping and, upon returning to her car, found four males in the act of leaving with her vehicle.

She dropped her shopping bags and drew her handgun, proceeding to scream at the top of her voice, “I have a gun, and I know how to use it! Get out of the car!”

The four men didn’t wait for a second invitation. They got out and ran like mad.

The lady, somewhat shaken, then proceeded to load her shopping bags into the back of the car and got into the driver’s seat.

She was so shaken that she could not get her key into the ignition. She tried and tried, and then it dawned on her why…For the same reason she did not understand why there was a football, a Frisbee and two 12 packs in the front seat…

A few minutes later, she found her own car parked four or five spaces farther down. She loaded her bags into the car and drove to the police station to report her mistake. The sergeant to whom she told the story couldn’t stop laughing. He pointed to the other end of the counter, where four pale men were reporting a car jacking by a mad, elderly woman described as white, less than five feet tall, glasses, curly white hair and carrying a large handgun.

UAW – damn straight.
Did you ever see The Patriot? There’s a line in there that seems to have echoed from my family of hunters – aim small, miss small, don’t miss at all. Don’t think I could do it – I really hate guns in my hands . . . but glad the SEALS were there. And I’m glad that our Prez is ruthless enough to give that type of standing order; there’s a difference between ruthlessness and cowboying. . .

Werner, et al, sorry I took so long in responding! My pregnancy is keeping me busy and DH and I went out on Saturday to see Watchmen.

Werner, you are too funny! I have many, many friends whom I’ve known for 20+ years. And yet, they are so stubbornly conservative. For the most part, they are intelligent people. I hung out with geeks in high school, and most of them turned into conservatives. *sigh* That’s Texas for ya.

and Mary Alice, I haven’t heard anything as insulting as your name change and americanization suggestion in a long time,

It is a bit like Hitler giving the Jews forced “German” names, No?

I know you don’t like to be thrown in one pot with him, but also in Germany at the beginning the jews “paper” names where only “suggested” to them, until they became mandatory………

When I see in the profile of my users calling in for help an Asian or African name with a americanized version (usually in brackets after their real name), I make an extra effort to pronounce their real name correctly when addressing them.

And If I can’t wrap my toung around it (esp. some african names proof a challenge even to me) I usually ask them how they are pronounced correctly, so I can do it right when I come acrosss it again.

I think this is, first of all, a question of politness.

And I knwo by my own eperience that this doesn’t seam to be “the American way”.

I had this stupid chick (sorry, but that’s what she was) keep calling me “Vermin”, even after I spelled her the name 3 times.

Since we gave this company quiet some business (I was electronics broker than) a short call to her boss solved that problem, in her case permanently (seams I wasn’t the only one complaining about her, just the last one…..)

So, a bit more respect towards our culturell diversity goes a long way, and I, for myself, found contacts with different cultures always enlightning and educating at the least and profiting (personally) too!

I re read the poem and other supporting posts after my cousin died. Thanks again.

Raji, I worry about guns in the wrong hands too. Your experience was to say the least, frightening. I don’t know the answer to that problem either. A dysfunctional culture which cause young people to band together in gangs and to feel the need to protect themselves or to use guns as intstruments of retribution. Washington DC, I think has one of the most strict gun laws in the country, and its effect seems to be to let the wrong people own and use them.

Public television ran a story about Annie Oakley, one of the greatest shooters who ever lived. She was a marginal feminist who in her later years organized shooting classes for women. She believed an armed woman was a safe woman.

Two sets of armed robbers had nasty surprises in Omaha a couple of years ago. The clerks were armed, and resultant gun battles dispatched the thieves and at least one store clerk.

GreytdogA, I like it. Your “bonny cattle thief” was just Robin Hood with a bad press agent.

I have something in common with your dogs. I like the pie plates clean and shiny too, and I don’t care what name you call me if it is for dinner.

Raji, we have not gone to the dogs. The dogs have always been here, but unlike trolls, they are well mannered and quiet. They guard the house and porch and are happy to lick the pie plates clean and shiny. And they don’t care what name you call them. as long as you call them. . .to dinner 🙂

James, I don’t know how I feel about guns. I grew up with guns in the house for farmers and hunters. I feel there is still a need for that freedom. However, I do worry about guns in the wrong hands especially in the city.
I lived on a 32 acre farm four years ago surrounded by hunters and allowed them access to my land. Next door, (another 32 acres) a man lived there who played Rambo in the woods with all sorts of weapons and often pelleted my home from a distance. One time I was unloading the dogs from the truck and the driveway exploded with bullets. Another time I was on my horse and again the ground exploded. Luckily both times I was not hurt. When I finally called the local police they informed me that it was considered a misdeamor and the fine was $10. I resorted to calling the “locals” and they took care of Rambo.So I do have mixed feelings about the availability of anyone and everyone having a gun. In addition, the single women in the area all went out and bought a gun! That scared me more than Rambo 🙂

Mary Alice, are you getting the reaction you’re seeking concerning people “acting white” or “americanizing” their names? Tran Bok Choy? Really Mary Alice, is that the best you could do? Would Bok Choy be part of General Tso’s army? Or perhaps practice Kung Pao?

Helen, if Easter at your house is anything like your Thanksgiving, you have had a busy week. Just thought I would let you know the parlor has gone to the dogs, literally this time 🙂

Have to share this one:
Taxes: “It’s punishing the achievers for the mistakes and the lack of discipline on the part of a bunch of corrupt politicians that have run that city and state into the ground”
Limbaugh announcing plans to sell his NY city condo because of the so-called millionaires’ tax in the state’s new budget.

“If I knew that would be the result, I would’ve thought about the taxes earlier”
David Paterson, NY Governor on the conservative icon’s threat to skip town.

Why should people have to change their names?
Why can’t people just learn to mispronounce them or at least try to say them correctly.
A law making people with difficult names change them?
How about Pakkonin, or any of many Finnish names?
Just because YOU think they are hard to pronounce, not everyone does.

James your story about Jesse James made me smile. My dad was a MacGregor – and the family lineage definitely went back to Rob Roy, who was known for his defiance of the Campbells and the Brits. But among family, as my dad liked to put it, “he was a bonny cattle thief”. . .

GreytdogA, we do have a tendency to fill in the blanks in crazy ways don’t we? One of my favorites is that Jesse James escaped to Texas and lived to 104. We had a mild interest in that one since old tales of when the gang holed up in our county are still told. Descendants had James dug up and tested. His DNA matched the rest of the family.

Our moon landing’s being on a sound stage was another good one. I didn’t hear about the Star Trek theory. Now that you mentioned it, I do remember the Stevie Wonder story.

Didn’t a chain of about 20 people die because they were somehow connected to the Kennedy assasination? I believe Dorothy Kilgalon was supposed to be one of them. Someone ought to write a book about the conspiracy theories.

Hmm had to scroll back up through the comments to see what doofus you all were responding to – Fearless Freddy .. . so glad to see we made your day by responding to you. So tell me, Fearless (bwahahaha) does the attention make up for your erectile dysfunction?

I still find it funny how people use the word socialism and conjure it up to be a bad thing… Socialism is just a philosophy of how government/goods should be run… Just like capitalism, democracy, utilitarianism, totalitarianism etc etc etc are philosophies in their own right… I also find it funny how the word socialism has never once popped out of Obama’s mouth and it was all the right wing that made a huge deal out of socialism….

Oh and wishing harm on people is not a mature way to handle your arguments… I barely ever agree with UAW Tradesman, but at least he offers legit arguments for his point of view and marks these legit arguments with reliable sources… In fact I wish UAW well!

I wonder if anyone here has read any literature by a guy named George Orwell… The article that I read by Orwell in undergrad would be a good thing for Fearless Freddy and anyone to read…

Donna, thanks for the advice. I was being a bit tongue in cheek also. Having raised sight hounds, I learned that I would always be “low dog” and accepted as their caregiver. It was a humbling experience 🙂 This is a new experience raising Pyrs but I feel since they are Guardians, they are alpha. Now they just have to work it out between them who is alpha and that won’t be my decision. Actually what they are doing is vying for my attention like any two year olds.

Greytdog, think long and hard about getting two puppies unless you are young and agile. What was I thinking at my advanced age! They sure were cute though
and I saw them right after loosing my Golden and the Wolfhound the year before.

“commie wolves” Good one!

I wondered when someone was going to jump on Fearless Freddy. Good reply, Susan in CT

From Fearless Freddy:
“I hope they both fell and broke a hip!!!! Would
serve them right considering they are a couple of
bitchy blow hards with too much time on their hands and a socialist agenda to push. Funny how
they stopped posting while Obama was out of the country!”

So, you big brave man, you’d wish severe pain and disability on two people whom you don’t know, and all because they’re expressing their opinions? Really?

Thanks James for getting the humor. It was a bit tongue in cheek but. . . hmmm….. 🙂

I just find it incredibly stupid the way people so readily buy into conspiracy theories. . .sheesh. I once attended a lecture given by Mark Lane who advanced the conspiracy theories about Kennedy’s assassination. OMIGOD> whacko bait for sure. And then the closer for me was afterwards when all these conspiracy nutjobs came out of the woodwork – did you know that Star Trek originated to test public reaction to a creation of a interstellar fighting fleet? Did you know that Stevie Wonder’s song “Summer in the City” was a call to arms for the inner city??? I mean, c’mon. If your head is that far up your arse, you might need an enema.

GreydogA, I know you were joking, but some people really believe the government will take their right to purchase or use ammunition. If the government did ban sales of ammunition, I’m sure we would see “bulleteasys” like the speakeasies during Prohibition.

Out here in the country, we still need guns for self defense against rabid animals, large predators and humans. A neighbor stumbled on a drug deal when he was looking for a place to hunt deer, and a man fired two shots at knee level to show they could kill him at any time. The sherrif told him to carry a gun because he lived too far away for law enforcement to protect him.

We do not live in a democracy, we live in a democratic republic with safeguards for minorities. The Constitution guarantees gun ownership. As long as the Second Amendment exists, the number of people who support or oppose gun ownership doesn’t matter.

FYI, dog packs have an alpha male and an alpha female. But humans impose Top Dog status not the dogs. In our very small k9 pack here, we have an alpha female. She is totally alpha and the two bigger boys understand this. BUT if the pack is threatened, my sort of alpha male becomes very alpha. . . it’s a pack dynamic that humans shouldn’t bother labeling. IMO, if you watch pack behavior, it’s more socialist than not 🙂 which would explain the aerial wolf hunts in alaska. . .commie wolves. . .

Greyhounds typically are raised with their full litters until a year old or until they grade for racing. Eventually one or two of the litter will take a more dominant role but not dominate. It’s fun to watch a litter frolick . . .

okay enough dogs. gotta take care of the pack (I’m the low dog on their totem pole but ohhh I’m a good hunter/gatherer for ’em)

Raji–many very good trainers do not believe the “Top Dog” notion of dominance. You might want to read something by Patricia McConnell or by Suzanne Clothier (my absolute favorite expert on dogs, who I have seen do incredible things).

I think it’s difficult to raise siblings. Either they bond more tightly to each other than to their humans or they do what yours are doing. Takes a ton of management and working separately with each–at least IMO. But Pyrenees are beautiful dogs!!

James, you wrote: “They do need to be vigilant because a minority opposes gun ownership.”

I find that quite ironic because despite the premise of our democracy that majority rules (while still enabling the minority voice to have its say and consideration) – it seems to me that over the last several decades, minority voice is the ruling voice. I have no problem with people owning guns. I think there should be a ban on the ammunition though. 🙂 That’s just my personal solution. Keep your guns, I’ll hold the ammo.

Raji,we had two stray labrabor puppies who when they grew up snarled and growled at each other the way you described, because each thought he was top dog. When we were together, we usually could stop them. Sometimes I stepped between the dogs, and they became quiet. But they lived outside and kept at it when they were alone. They never fought, and they didn’t growl all of the time. Otherwise, they were lovable dogs as I’m sure yours will be.

Honolulu Sally, someone jokingly observed the gun manufacturers should give Obama an award for encouraging gun sales. One reason is the press didn’t seem to care what Obama believed before the election. Tom Brokaw and another reporter said they didn’t really know much about him. It was their job to find out. Uncertainty breeds rumors and fear.

Some Democrats want to control weapons, and Obama has made contradictory statements about the subject. Though he has also said he will not try to restrict our Constitutional rights, many gun owners don’t believe him.

I believe some gun owners’ fear is a manifestation of my previous contention that our civilized culture hides a more violent and emotional nature.

I didn’t see the ABC documentary with Dianne Sawyer, but from what I read, it was anti- gun. I’m sure that media anti- gun opinions help feed the fear that Obama or his allies will take away our weapons. They do need to be vigilant because a minority opposes gun ownership. Most gun owners are non- violent, but if they feel besieged and uncertain, they will invent “facts.” They will “know” that Obama wants to take their guns. It’s human nature.

I think we should stop worrying about what people say and start worrying about how people act. If people act “white” then good. Also, people with difficult foreign names should by law have to “Americanize” them. I have a friend who did this. His real name is Tran Bok Choy and he goes by Bob Franklin.

I hope they both fell and broke a hip!!!! Would serve them right considering they are a couple of bitchy blow hards with too much time on their hands and a socialist agenda to push. Funny how they stopped posting while Obama was out of the country!

Raji – nice to know a fellow sighthound person is here. (and great Pyrenees now – wow)
A friend just sent me a notice about a couple of greyhound pups in need of a home. . .a notice complete with pics which I’ve been going back to over and over and over. . . puppies are the last thing I need right now. . . but. . . .

James, I’m glad you learned something about the communication with animals. Now if I could only figure out how to communicate with two 20 month old Great Pyrs puppies who are siblings and are constantly trying to be top dog. Sigh. It’s hard to be Top Dog as I am much better at being Top Mare. I have had Irish Wolfhounds in the past and they were difficult also as they don’t accept Top Dog. We’ll get there eventually but I have a feeling they will be top dog and just accept me as care giver.That’s my experience with the sight hounds and now the guardians as they are in charge. Yes, they are totally trained and my back that is out of wack can attest to that fact.

Greytdog, thanks for the link to the peeps contest. There is also one for the horse community. I have a SIL who loves peeps.

Whirled peas, Hilarious. Took awhile for this old broad to figure out the terminology but finally figured out why everyone was snickering! I appalled my daughters when I told them now I know what tea bagging meant. Geez, are the Wingnuts that stupid that they didn’t get it? We are all adults aren’t we
🙂

Okay, passing some time, checked out Rick Sanchez and his interview with a gun spokesman and a liberal. Rick alleges that Fox News and Glenn Beck are scaring the bleep out of their fans and they are arming themselves and in an uproar over Obama’s agenda to take guns away. Never saw Rick Sanchez before, but thought it was a pretty good segment, but the comments! that followed blasted him for being opinionated and biased and then started insulting his Cuban heritage. Boy! angry crowd there.

Happy anniversary! An Air Force NCOIC gave my then future wife and me this advice for a long successful marriage: “Never make yourself more valuable dead than alive.” We thought he was joking, but we weren’t sure.

Raji, I learned something from your discussion of elephants and other animals.

Now that same sex marriage is legal in Iowa, an Omaha talk show host is joking about how Nebraska can capitalize on it by selling flowers catering meals, etc to make a little money from the happy couples. Nebraskans still resent their state’s gambling money’s finding its way to our Indian casinos.

I wish you both the happiest and most blessed of Easters! I hope you are enjoying the spring sunshine and time with your friends and families!

We miss you, but we can’t impose on your time ALL the time. We will contentedly wait for another post when you have the time and energy to fit us into your very full and very rich lives!

Margaret, isn’t it exciting that same-sex marriage is now legal in FOUR states!?! Your nephew must be rejoicing…I hope he knows millions of us are rejoicing with him! I’d love to know both of your reactions to this expansion of equality and civil rights!

“Tidbits of wisdom on marriage. Hmmm, lets see. Well, murder is still illegal. And everytime we got a few dollars ahead in the kitty for a divorce some big expense would come along and wipe it out. Then we started getting older and finally knew nobody else would put up with us, so here we are!”

Good morning to our late night bloggers, Jean and Sally. Happy anniversary, Jean.

Jean, those are pearls of wisdom. It should be part of the marriage contract to have a divorce “kitty”.
There is always some big expense in life so the “kitty” would never be available for it’s original purpose.

Greytdog, thanks for still checking. I haven’t been able to obtain further information except for the comment “the source is from the US”. Now, how informative is that?? Makes you wonder what comes from the floor to the table.

Tidbits of wisdom on marriage. Hmmm, lets see. Well, murder is still illegal. And everytime we got a few dollars ahead in the kitty for a divorce some big expense would come along and wipe it out. Then we started getting older and finally knew nobody else would put up with us, so here we are!

Actually though, he really is an old sweetie – at times. I really can’t imagine life without him, so I’ll keep him. We do love each other dearly.

Gee, your dog was only trying to join in make it a trio! Is he a tenor or baritone? Don’t pay any attention to your kids non-appreciation of great music. Ours always headed for the door when I started playing.

Thank you for your nice comment. I feel like I am just talking to everyone here when I am typing away. It is fun to share, don’t you think?

Speaking of sharing, tomorrow is our 56th (that’s FIFTY-SIXTH) wedding anniversary. We are starting to get the hang of this marriage thing.
(I of course was a child bride sold into marriage at the age of TWO.)

Wonder what Helen and Margaret are up to? Well, I guess it’s our recess time and we get to play…

Jean, you amaze me. When you “speak”, it brings to mind the movie “The English Patient” with stories unwoven delicately and masterfully.

Glad to make you laugh, Easier. I embarrass the hell out of my kids. I tell them I’m helping them to build character. At least I bathe on a regular basis and try to keep my eyebrows and underarm hairs plucked.

Last night I accompanied my Jehovah’s Witness husband to their Memorial night. This is the most important event of the year for this religion. They quote passages of the Bible and pass the wine and unleavened bread, re-enacting the Last Supper, but only anointed ones can partake. Not quite sure what makes a person anointed (part of the 144,000 that sit in the heavens), but I didn’t see anyone partaking.

This was in direct contrast to my childhood Episcopalian upbringing. We partook every single week.

My mother-in-law came with us. She lives in an assisted living home, is wheelchair bound and suffers a bit from Alzheimer’s disease. She used to consume wine in her pre-nursing home days, along with cigarettes by the case and coffee by the gallon. But no more.

During the event, she kept telling my husband that she was hungry, and wanted to eat a cheeseburger and french fries. The bad girl in me really wanted to see her scarf up the bread and drain the wine goblet, just to see what would happen.

Didn’t happen, but I think if she had been a bit faster with her reflexes, she would have been able to, and then I really would have something to write about.

I thought of you, Jean and our earlier discussion about China. I bought 1421, The Year China Discovered America by Gavin Menzies. You might enjoy it.

One thing our religion teaches is God made us in His image. In my opinion, Humans made God in their image. I don’t think God is much like we portray it.

Christanity, Judaism, and Muslimism are as we know faces of the same religion. Our form of worship began to take shape about the time agriculture and towns came into vogue, though cities existed before farming. I believe our ancestors borrowed features of much older religions prevalent during pre- history. One of its representatives was Lilith, Adam’s first wife by some traditions. She was a powerful force with hints still existing in traditions like Easter Lilies.

Rome was one of the most successful empires in human history, and its people were much like us.
I suspect a combination of politics and spirituality to convert Constantine as you suggest.

Another feature of the Empire was the Crash of 33 shortly after Jesus went to Heaven. Several bubbles burst, some over extended companies went under, and they took down some banks with them. Much as today, people paniced, and the government eased credit and spent bail out money. The Roman government was careful not to spend more than necessary to avoid bankrupcy.

Thank you Raji. Yes, I have had some hard times. I hope I’m a survivor and not a victim. Life blessed my wife and me as each others’ soul mates. I like Heinlien’s stories, but I have never read Job.

Honolulu Sally, I agree with what you wrote about the “American Dream.” When our son got his job in California, his boss told him his Midwest farm background was a selling point. Employers know farm kids still have a good work ethic.

We are familiar with Warren Buffet around here since he is practically a neighbor. A number of people including my late Aunt bought his stock when it was worth very little at the beginning. A retired farmer is so rich he donates thousands of dollars of money to our local school and for scholarships. When my brother’s high school friend was a waiter, he often served Buffet. Warren’s best advice is don’t spend on what you don’t know.

ATime, I don’t like it any better than you do, but its true. Humans are not inherently evil, in my opinion. We are violent and self serving, because our ancestors had to be to live. We are also capable of great feats of compassion and heroism, which I believe is also part of our genetic program. We can teach ourselves to direct our violent ways into more peaceful endeavors, as we know. But they don’t leave us.

Society and our culture ameliorate our baser drives, but they remain to dominate when cultural mores no longer function properly. I have seen our teeth unleashed when the center fails to hold, and it is unpleasant.

Several authors have touched on the theme. Steven King’s The Stand, Nevil Shute’s (?) On the Beach, and another, No Blade of Grass describe the dissolution of society. King Rat is also good. An old Twilight Zone story of people fighting to get into a bomb shelter was pretty descriptive too. From what I have seen, the pattern is similar to what the books say after about 40% of the population is incapacitated.

A flu epidemic sickened over 60% of the people around our base. Basic services stopped for a couple of weeks. We who took x rays then read a lot of magazines because most of our patients were sick in bed or on the ward.

Just before I left the service, our base transferred most of its personell elsewhere, and when no one cared, the society dissolved. Many people hardly bothered to come to work. Unlike the fictional accounts, these episodes were not violent or frightening since they were temporary and non- threatening. They were interesting to live through though.

I believe religion plays an important role in directing our violent drives onto more productive paths.

Looks like Helen and Margaret have left us to fend for ourselves for a while. So I thought it was about time for another of my history lessons.

Faith and hope in SOMETHING is an intrinsic instinct and necessity of the human species. We just don’t like to admit that we don’t have all the answers to the ‘unknowables’. Religious INSTITUTIONS take on the responsibility of directing that faith and hope into the moral benefit of society at large. Religious institutions also spring from human endeavors and may or may not have elements of spirituality. Invariably, politics get involved.

These are the historical events that turned the Roman Empire from crucifying and feeding Christians to the lions to making Christianity the official religion of the Empire. It is a little confusing at first, so pay attention!

By the fourth century AD the Roman Empire had become far flung and so unwieldly, it was nearly impossible to govern. With 10,000 miles of frontier, it was tenuously held together by military force. Most of the third century AD was marked by near anarchy. Diocletian was chosen emperor in 284. He abandoned Rome and made his capital in Nicomedia a few miles south of what would become Byzantium (Constantinople- Istanbul.) The necessity of defending the empire in Europe as well as Asia caused Diocletian to chose a co-emperor of the West, Maximian, while Diocletian remained co-emperor of the East.

The plan was to have each of them appoint two deputies, ‘Caesars’, as aides and presumably one of them would succeed each of the emperors. Maximian had his capital in Milan, closer to the ‘Empire of the West.’ Rome was more or less abandoned to the ‘Barbarians’. To cement the arrangement both emperors gave their daughters in marriage to their respective ‘Caesars’. Four ‘Caesars’ emerged as potential contenders for the title of emperor.

It was a dandy idea and worked for a while, but didn’t take into account the very human rivalry of ambition. In time, after a century of political and social chaos, SIX ‘Caesars’ competed for Roman Emperor. Both Diocletian and Maximian got a little carried away by proclaiming themselves deities. Diocletian declared himself as Jupiter incarnate; Maximian embodied Hercules, giving absolute authority to the co-emperors. This form of monarchy, traditional in Persia and the Orient, became the ‘Divine Right of Kings’ in Byzantium and thus, European realms until the French Revolution.

Maximian designated Constantinius Chlorus (the Pale) as one of his ‘Caesars’. Chlorus, as he was known, made his capital in Trèves, (Triers, Germany. Centuries later, Karl Marx was born in this historic city.) Constantine (306-337) was the natural son of Chlorus by a concubine, Helena. As a young soldier, Constantine fought wars with Egypt and Persia until, among other battles, he joined his father to fight in Britain against the Picts and the Saxons. When Chlorus died in York in Britain, the soldiers proclaimed Constantine not as ‘Caesar’, but as Emperor.

Naturally, the other ‘Caesars’ did not take kindly to this turn of events, so a long chain of intrigues ensued. The orderly succession of the tetrarchy, the rule of four envisioned by Diocletian, degenerated into the usual assassinations, murders and finally civil war between the ‘Caesars’.

Constantine and his army crossed the Alps to challenge ‘Caesar’ Maxentius, son of Maximian, in battle a few miles north of Rome. This is the dramatic legend of Constantine’s conversion to Christianity. The afternoon before the decisive battle, Constantine saw a vision in the sky of a gleaming cross with the Greek words emblazoned upon it, ‘en toutoi nika’. The Latin translation is ’en hoc signo vinces’, ‘in this sign thou shalt conquer’.

The legend continued that the next morning a voice told him to have his soldiers place on their shields the monogram of Christ that the emperor had seen the day before. There were a number of Christians in Constantine’s army anyway, so this no doubt energized them. ONCE AGAIN, RELIGION WAS LINKED TO WAR.

That’s how the crucifix came to be the symbol of Christianity. Of course, it is also a symbol for a sword.

Under the symbol of Christ, Constantine went into battle at the Milvian Bridge to meet Maxentius’ army that was bearing the banner of Mithra. (I have told the wild and crazy story of Mithraism here before.) Constantine won a resounding victory. Maxentius, (oh yes, Constantine’s brother-in-law) drowned in the Tiber River with most of his army. Constantine entered Rome triumphant as the unopposed ‘Caesar’ of the West.

Constantine’s conversion has been debated many times. Was it genuine or political and military expediency? Probably a little of both. In the later years of his reign, he demonstrated, if not great piety in his personal theology, a genius in the organization and administration of the Christian Church. He built churches all over the empire and is single handedly credited with the Christianization of the Roman Empire. Constantine was sole emperor. His reign marked political stability after the anarchy of almost a century.

History has shown over and over again that it is almost impossible to establish an empire and maintain it without a strong autocratic regime supported by some form of slavery.

Condtantine began building his magnificent new capital, ‘Nova Roma’. Further, he instituted a number of reforms, abolishing crucifixions and many forms of torture. The horrific persecutions of Christians that began in earnest with Nero ceased. Among many other accomplishments that benefited the Church, he established the foundations for Church property and exemption of the clergy from secular duties.

In many respects, the Church was in disarray with numerous heretical sects springing up all over the empire. Arius, a priest in a small Egyptian town, started a major schism over the nature of Christ. This was vehemently opposed by the Bishop of Alexandria. These disputes had to be settled if the unity of the Church were to survive.

In 325, Constantine called for a council of bishops and other Church dignities to be held in Nicaea, Bithynia, (now Turkey). He was impatient with what he considered nitpicking over esoteric fine points of theology. He felt the theologians had too much leisure time on their hands to ponder trivia. Perhaps, then, as now, more emphasis could be put on Christ’s message than his persona.

Three-hundred-eighteen bishops were in attendance. Constantine personally presided over the council. A number of other contentious issues were clarified. The council was vital to the continuity of the Church. The result was the Nicaean Creed. It was revised in 362 and again in 660. It comes to us as a statement of Christian beliefs and is now known as the Nicene Creed.

The schism of Arius was renounced, so the council anathematized and exiled the priest. However, later Constantine recalled Arius for an interview and reinstated him. The emperor’s theology leaned toward Arianism and the schism continued.

Constantine formally replaced the tetrarchy with the heredity succession principle that was maintained throughout Europe and the Middle East for centuries. By leaving the empire to his three sons, he established a political dynasty. He further renamed Byzantium ‘Nova Roma’ and then ‘Constantinople’. The establishment and building of Constantinople was one of his crowning achievements.

It appears that Constantine’s religious convictions were not wholeheartedly compatible with Christian principles. Perhaps his personal ambitions and responsibilities as emperor overshadowed a firm belief. (He murdered his second wife, his son by his first wife and a nephew. Why, is unclear.)

This is reminiscent of Augustine who ‘prayed for celibacy, but not yet!’

Constantine always said he wanted to be baptized in the River Jordan but never got around to it. On his deathbed, he received the rites of baptism and extreme unction from his friend, Eusebius, the Bishop of Nicomedia, an Arian. For forty years after Constantine’s death, Arianism was the official orthodoxy of the Eastern Empire.

With this history, it is not surprising that there are so many different Christian sects. It is so sad that somewhere along the line, Jesus’ message of peace and love was almost lost.

Werner: the death penalty issue keeps going through the court system. People in one state want it controlled the same way in all states, even if they don’t live there. So, first it state controlled, then the courts ruled it was federally banned, then they ruled it a state issue, now it goes back to the courts on individual basis.

Things no longer stay a state’s rights issue but are ruled and controlled by people who feel “they know best” for everyone (stoning of women is a good example of something a world-wide government SHOULD control). However, that type of control has a VERY high likelyhood of becoming oppressive. Remember power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. 9 or even 30 people deciding the laws for 6 billion people including but not limited to who, when and how many children they should be allowed to have (and believe me I KNOW we are overpopulated) is too much power.

I think it was Thomas Jefferson who said that when you give up your freedoms for your security you get neither. Or something like that.

Happy Passover and Happy Easter to all! I also like Werner’s Happy Eggs Birthday.

I just introduced a new member, djodjo. She is new to all this blog stuff and needs a welcome. She may be shy at first but I can assure you if we get her to join in she will give Werner a run for his money 🙂 Another German, Werner.

I just finished a book I cannot believe I haven’t found before. JOB: A Comedy of Justice by Robert A Heinlein. What a hilarious satire on all this christian right propaganda.

James, you have had a lot of grief in your life. I admire all that you have done to try to overcome the adversities that you have encountered.

My life has been surrounded with the animal behavoir and the animal instinct. I respect each species and try to interact accordingly. I study the way each species interacts with each other and attempt to emulate that behavoir to help them adjust to human behavoir rather than force them to submit. In other words, I become “Boss” mare with the herd by using their methods. All animals have a violent nature and need a leader to control the pack. Should we say the same of humans? I have oftened wonder about that fact. I watch the way animals treat their elderly. When the aged animal can no longer fend for itself, it is forced away from food and water.
There has been research on the young bull elephants who were removed from the herd and raised together. The fighting was horrendous and the only way to salvage them was to reintroduce the older elephants.
Maybe this fact is the crux of our current financial problem, the old bulls weren’t around. Of course there is always a rogue, like Madoff 🙂

Sharia and other laws would fall within provincial/state jurisdiction
(you do have now states with and others without death penalties, No??
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And yes, the US had a good start in the beginning (IF you had the right skin color and didn’t mind religous meddlling in your daily lives too much…..) but are now so far off track that a new beginning so sorely needed, methinks. (worldwide that is)

So provincial / state rights would cover religious / political rights BUT needs to implement a gruanteed right of free movement, so people can move from a part they don’t like to one they do.

And if someone thinks she/he has to put up with a political system they don’t like in order to make a “better” (financial) living, let them.

And saving all those politicians salarys and perks should free enough money to even out the worst social problems. (Basic income for all = no hunger, and add to it by work! So you want the perks, you work), and reflection of the time invested in (successfull) studies in the salary (A bus driver should earn more than a teacher)

Honolulu Sally
I noticed that my old dogs used to howl when I played Blues-Harp. and I think it has to do with the tone rather than a person / insrument, I could play guitar all day and nothing, play my “C” Harp and have a nit of howling after a fwe minutes, but take my favorite “A” Hrap and the rukus started right away…..

Werner: I realize that my post, to my eyes, might come across as belittling your ideas. I didn’t mean it that way because I can see from a US stand point that if the world government ran the way the US is running that it isn’t a failed system compared with what we have now.

Werner: your dreams are admirable but can be seen as either naive, in a very distant future or incredibly scary.

The way the United States was originally planned was very much in a manner you see your dream world. The president was somewhat of a figurehead but the states themselves were ultimately in charge of their own rules and laws with a few exceptions, military was one of them. This was of course when movement and information was slow and most people lived on a very micro-level.

We have discovered through Lincoln, who was actually the first president to truly erode states rights, and down through the years that it is impossible to achieve a peaceful co-existence when ideas, laws and beliefs differ from one state to the other with no one having a true autonomous rule of law. In the US it has been slavery, abortion, drug, etc. With each state differing greatly on the laws depending on population makeup but a lot eventually moving up to a judicial decision. Eventually the judicial decisions trumping the states rights in some cases and not in others. But that depends on who is on the judge’s bench at the time too.

Take that to a world level and it becomes much more complicated. Do we take on China’s law of one-child only family policy (overpopulation of the planet anyone?), the U.S.’s capital punishment law, the right to die policies of Denmark or the Sharia law of divorce in most Muslim countries?

As an example, Muslim’s are about 22% of the world population, but they are growing at a greater rate than the rest of the world. When their voting power becomes more significant would they have the ability to change world law? Do we control reproduction rights to avoid such issues of any one people, race, or religion that we fear?

Greed is part of mankind and no one said it was only from the Bush years. If you are referring to Helen, or many of the people here, I’d betcha they read, quite a bit. Maybe just not the same things you read or in the same way.

The “American Dream” wasn’t ever about getting something for nothing, unless you are talking about those on junkets to Vegas or spoiled kids. It was about working hard, having a family and a house with a white picket fence.

I feel for the newer generations with less hard of an upbringing than us, more tv with reality shows, lower education, name-brand mentality and their lack of respect for and from some of my generation. Ask any employer out there, and they will bemoan the work ethic of the younger ones. Good hard workers used to be the norm. Now it is like hitting the jackpot when you find one.

I caught some of a CBS (?) interview with Warren Buffet. It was a rather long interview with one of the wisest, most stable man who is also one of the richest men in America. When asked what he thought of either tax cuts or raising taxes, he said that last year, 400 of the highest earning Americans averaged paying 17% in taxes. He said he was more than willing to get that kind of tax break, but it wasn’t fair. If the tax on the rich goes up, he will pay it, and it will be fair. This man needs to go on Fox News. He can hold his own and call a rat a rat.

Speaking of animals and music: we bought a karaoke machine with discs that each held over 600 songs. So one night my husband and I closed up all the doors and windows and started to sing. My husband has a wonderful voice and is very enjoyable to listen to. I tend to be flat, but I sing loud and boisterously (I think I can sing like Aretha Franklin and Linda Rondstat). As I am singing my 3rd song, my husband tells me, “The dogs are howling”. I thought, How Rude!! so I stopped singing and turned off the machine.

After a few seconds, I heard it. The aaaauuuuwhooooooooo! long and painful. This continued for the rest of the evening, so I don’t know if I inspired or tortured that poor dog.

Sally Smith, I judge what I read against my experiences. Thanks for the complement. Greed and avarice are as old as time. Chasing the “American Dream” the dollar or anything else is nothing but the programing “God” gave us to beat our competitors to scarce resources. We may rationalize our instincts with fancy words and concepts, but underneath our “greed” is a genetic demand for stuff to send to the next generation. We are Cro- Magnons with computers and three piece suits.

Through history, we have enslaved or exterminated enemies who stood in our way. They would have done the same to us, had they been able. Its not that it is a bad thing. We are who we are, and it is much better to have won than to have lost. I don’t feel any guilt, just respect for worthy opponents.

We survive because we have institutionalized our inner violence and blood feuds into athletic events, political contests, NASCAR races and such. Bushies staged a revolution and took over the country, and now the Obamaites are following suit. Our culture and country are superior because we do it without violence.

Werener Oderwer, Yes, challenge “is to win at least some of them over.” Sometimes it works with my kids.

You wrote, “Almost everyone here is capable of cold blooded murder under the right circumstances. More than one person has told me I am an unusually kind man, yet under it all, in my heart, I am a murderer. Like dogs and cats, we are a race of murderers.”

But unlike dogs and cats, we humans have the ability to create our circumstances. We can reduce our likelihood of becoming murderers by working for a more peaceful, more just world.

I say this in true perplexity: I do not understand the need some people have to believe that humans are inherently evil. There is as much evidence of human goodness as there is of human wickedness. I believe that all people have the capability for both good and evil within them. What possible good does it do to insist that people are bad at heart? Wouldn’t it be better all around to focus on and nurture the good in them? And do what we can to heal and prevent the bad?

Everyone:

Most of you folks would *love* the radio program I just heard. Gary Eichten’s Midday program on MN Public Radio invited 2 political analysts (1 R, 1 D) to weigh in on current MN and US politics. The conversation was refreshingly civil and intelligent. But I must admit, the part I loved best was where both guests answered a caller’s question about Michelle Bachmann. The D guy (Todd Rapp) kept pretty quiet. But the R (Tom Horner) could barely contain his disgust with her. In a nutshell, he said he thinks she’s “appalling,” “embarrassing,” and a liar. Worst of all, he said, she is ignoring her constituents’ real concerns in an effort to get attention (from the like of Bill-O et al.).

I find it impossible to believe that you can write so eloquently, but you cannot read. The greed that exists in the world, that has brought us to our knees, existed long before the Bush years. Who can honestly say they were unaware of what was happening. The world just didn’t care – because it was all about getting something for nothing – the real “American Dream”.

Grandma Kat ie, I am sorry for your loss. Each time someone close to us dies, a little of us dies too. Life goes on, but a little differently doesn’t it? My sister in law and I were saying the same thing as you about a better place.

Yes, Werner, I try to learn from everyone. My wife is part German, and that helps too. Lots of German-Americans live in our part of western Iowa.

Jean, thank you for suggesting something non political to argue about and for believing what you do. I wish you could convince me. I loved your description of the birds, cows and music. My imagination took me there in warm summer evenings. As humans, we do have more highly developed cerebrums than lizards, and we can choose. Our more highly evolved cerebrums also make us more efficient killers.

I read that music may have been our first way of communicating, that our brains are programed to react to it. The beat is similar to our pulse. Maybe animals have some of the same mental reactions to music.

I agree about people’s need for tactile communication. I believe babies not held or patted a lot don’t thrive as well as others.

Our farm animals illustrate how we play nicely when our stomachs are full and have access to stuff. It is a better way because it helps perpetuate our genetic stock. Cats, like people, are lovable and they play with each other, but if a strange cat appears, like people, they will kill or drive it away. Usually for people, it is only figurative, of course.

We have a large stray dog who also resembled people I know. She was so afraid of us it took over a month to get her to come close enough to let us feed her. She had learned to live off the land, and after she learned learned to trust us she brought us eight raccoons, five skunks, a turtle, squirrels, rabbits and other animals for our inspection before she ate them. She looked at us with what appeared to be almost pride, as if she was trying to please us. Before our dog, raccoons often ate our cats. Now the raccoons are gone. Our dog also ate so many of our cats we called them the quick and the dead.

Now, they co -exist, and two of our cats sometimes follow the dog around. However, like humans our cats and dogs are biased against others not like them. A long haired cat showed up last winter. We fed it separately to keep our cats away from it. Our dog lets the cats sleep next to her sometimes, but the poor stray became lunch for our dog.

The sweetness and light is only a veneer to cover our true natures. It makes me sad to think about. I wish it wasn’t so. I’m glad you won’t change your opinions on account of me. It is a comfort knowing someone believes what I cannot.
\
Back in the service, I lived through something like the battle between the good and the bad sargents in Platoon. These were good middle class men and boys not much different from most of you. Most were genuinely nice people with pictures of wives, girl friends, and children in their wallets, and some were good Christians.

Yet, conditions deteriorated to the point they wanted to kill each other. I helped restrain a TSgt who planned to murder our commander one night. A good friend snapped, and got a pistol to blow away the extortion ring which bothered us. Six of his friends disarmed him and stuck him on the psycho ward to cool off.

I became a pariah after I turned in the bad guys. Some was out of fear because my “friends” “knew” my days were numbered and they didn’t to share my fate. I was no better than a stray cat which had wandered onto the wrong farm.

When it ended, everyone was “friends” again. It never ended for me, because I saw what we really were. I hated myself for a long time. Almost everyone here is capable of cold blooded murder under the right circumstances. More than one person has told me I am an unusually kind man, yet under it all, in my heart, I am a murderer. Like dogs and cats, we are a race of murderers. If we were not, Neanderthals or another sub species and not we would be posting on this message board.

“I used to roll the dice
feel the fear in my enemies’ eyes.
…It was a wicked and wild wind
blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn’t believe what I had become
And that was when I ruled the world…”

Colleen and Maven
….Many people are beginning to feel as if the UN is completely impotent in its current state. The countries that care are ’spitting in the wind’ when it comes to preventing, stopping or directing any positive change in the areas that desperately need it.
That seems to be the simplest explanation that I have for why I feel this way. I will say as a side note that many in the US worry about an ultimate word government that removes the sovereignty all countries and puts them all under one set of rules………

But yes I am one of those that worry it wouldn’t get there fast enough!!!

Just imagine one of my dreams (And a dream it is, for now):

Get rid of ALL the Federal gouverments in the world, hand some of the responsibilities (where it makes sense) down to the provinical/state level and than have only ONE Fed Gouvernment with ONE Fed police and ONE Army for the planet!

Imagine what HUGHE ammounts of money and resources could be freed and put to better use!

And yes this implies hugh changes, but with a standing Army of, let’s say, 2 Million men and hightech equipment (access prohibited to anyone else) we should be able to hold any warlord down, ONCE we removed Arms first!

And hand some of the now Fed police tasks to the provinical / state level and than have one hugh InterPol take care of the real villians…..

As long as this is controled by an elected world gouvernment there is little chance that one guy grabs hold of power (no such stupidity as a world Pres. a speaker maybe, with pure PR functions, but power wielded only by an assembly.)

Yes, makes the process a lot slower, but if you compare it to now, I think it wouldn’t be that much worse, just much more fair to all involved.

And no Power represented by money, purely by population (one delegate for so many people, very strict, and an offset as an extra seat or even two on envirionmental commitees for thinly populated rural areas….. something along these lines.)

So, while a lot of reps and right wingers shit their pants on such a vision, for me it is a dream, and imagine, they could have their right winge states too and you don’t like to live there, move to the next state/province and help to vote the gov in power that fits your outlook at live.

And the world gov can never be left or right since it is made up of delegates from all shades (and by this in defenition purple)

Dawny, thank you also. Mine is a web site, not a blog. I put it out there 8-9 years ago, hoping to ward off Bush’s re-election. No such luck. It is somewhat outdated, but you can Google it at jeans-gatherings.com. (Punctuation was not allowed in web addresses, hence the dash instead of an apostrophe.)

Colleen, I have found your comments thoughtful and always worth reading. You are welcome here. Please feel free to come back anytime.

James, yes, of course, aggression is innate. It is the old ‘Law of the Jungle’, ‘Predator v. Prey”, ‘Kill or be Killed’, ‘Fight or Flee’, etc. That is laid down in the primitive structures in the brain of all creatures. It has to do with survival of the species. In humans, it is generally thought of as narcissism. I like to think that as a more highly developed human with a cerebrum, I am a little bit smarter than a lizard.

Although I do love our little Geckos (nocturnal) and Chameleons (diurnal) that are 4-5 inches long. I do wish we could potty train them though. Often when I go out on our Dinky Deck, a chameleon will be sunning himself on the railing. Whenever he feels threaten, he sort of stand up on his front feet, swishes his tail back and forth and puffs out a pink pouch he has in his throat. He looks me straight in the eye as if to say,
“Ya wan’uh piece of me? Huh? Huh?”

We all know that dogs were domesticated from wolves just as most pets were from wild animals. Whenever they are fed, sheltered and feel loved, they are ever so tame. Their unconditional love and loyalty is what makes us want to care for them. It’s a mutual dependency. So most creatures can learn to be VIOLENT or ALTRUISTIC depending on the environment in which they live.

I have mentioned before that I have a friend who plays the flute very well. For years, we have gotten together once a week with me on the piano. We play Mozart, Debussy and stuff like that then drink tea and giggle. At her house she has two darling dogs. They are usually romping around all over the place, but the minute we start to play, one of them curls up under the piano bench and the other one stretches out over my feet on the pedals. It annoys him somewhat when I use the pedals but still, he amuses himself by licking my ankles.

Three years ago my husband and I moved into our townhouse here. Before that we had property that abutted a large pasture with a herd of 30-40 cattle. Invariably, when we started to play, the cows would line up by the fence to listen. The birds would come around, perch on the railing of the deck and listen. And of course, our cat curled up on the mat outside the sliding glass door for the ’concert’. We had a regular menagerie of high–brow critters.

What has always amazed me is that this only occurred when the music was LIVE! Never when the stereo was on. We have tried to figure out what the dynamics could be with the animals between live and recorded music. Anybody know?

It does prove that ‘music hath power to sooth the savage beast!’

We know how much a dog or cat loves to be petted. Rub their ears and scratch their tummies. I often think we forget about how important our tactical sense is. Sight, hearing and the sense of smell play important roles in social interactions. Unfortunately our Puritan Ethic Society places touching in the sexual category. So touching is a no-no except in the narrow confines of the bedroom. PDA (Public Displays of Affection) are frowned upon. To a certain extent, I think this attitude tends to promote social isolation.

A slap or a punch conveys a definite meaning without words! A handshake is permissible but it has a slightly sinister origin. If a man extended his hand in friendship, it showed that he had no weapon. However, it tickles me that often the grip is so strong that it conveys, “Cross me and I’ll arm wrestle you to the floor!”

Then there is a pat on the back or a pat on the head. A gentle touch on the arm acknowledges the physical presence of another with warmth and caring. One of the things we love about living in Hawaii that hugs and kisses are the order of the day in greetings, often even with strangers. Remember the old Irish saying, “A stranger is a friend you haven’t met yet!”

Jon Stewart takes Mark Levin, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Andrew Breitbart, Michelle Bachmann and Fox News to task for their over the top rhetoric about President Obama only a ten weeks into his presidency.

“Yes, tyranny. A.K.A. our democratically elected President. You know what guys….I think you might be confusing tyranny with losing.“

My family is closely tied to World Council of Churches – because of the work my parents did overseas for almost 30 years, our home over the years was host to many UN members, World Bank, NATO, as well as various embassy attaches, and other sundry military/government personnel. What I recall from the multitude of conversations that flowed around the breakfast and dinner tables was that while each country has its own agenda (totally understandable), own socio-politico-economic & cultural points of view, the primary agenda of the United Nations was to promote global understanding and avenues of peace. As the world has grown (remember when we could name the African countries? When there wasn’t a Bosnia/Serbia or a Slovakia or a Czech Republic?), the mission of the UN remains the same. It seems to me, IMO, that as the developing countries become less dependent on the “big brother” goodwill of the Western World, the western world has found more fault with the UN. This makes me wonder: do the western nations no longer wish to support the UN because they no longer control it? Sure, China was a major player in the UN – but as long as they remained isolated (remember for the US it wasn’t until Nixon that China actually reopened to the Western world), they could be controlled. And instead of a multitude of Eastern European nations, we just had to deal with the USSR. It seems to me that the majority of pundits who declaim the UN are isolationists who are still p.o.’d about the fact that the so-called 3rd world no longer sees the USA as the great white hope.

I am also not too informed as to the Human Rights Council in the UN or its history.

Just from the gist of the discussion going on here, it sounds like it is and has been ineffective, and some of the reasoning for applauding our re-joining was because it was Bush who pulled us out. Ergo, anything Bush did was bad.

I am no fan of Bush. In fact, by Limbaugh’s and Coulter’s definition, I was unAmerican the past 8 years because I dared to question his intelligence, allegiance, and character.

However, if this Human Rights Council is ineffective and flawed, either re-do it, fold it up, or call it something else like the Flatulation Council.

Colleen, you sound like a reasonable person, like James. You don’t go around spewing the hate and fear, and I don’t think you are a fan of Rush Limbaugh. You, James, and our UAW (reasonable?) are great company, and make for lively conversations.

On another note, I have been catching up with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert shows on-line. For comedy shows, they have some of the best guests on, such as the widow of Anwar El Sadat (Egyptian president who was assassinated) and Queen Noor of Jordan, wife of King Hussein. Both are intelligent women who believe in doing what they can for peace. Compare these quality guests with Faux News, who is actually supposed to present fair and balanced news and not a mockery of it.

Hannity is now talking about how Obama is a tyrant, and has many conservative guests on that join in his “fear of tyranny” and the end of the world as we know it.

It is frightening how people’s comments on other forums are so hate filled and negative. What makes it worse are the lies and falsehoods they believe to be true because of the Limbaughs, Becks, Hannitys that they watch or listen to exclusively. No wiggle room in there for wait and see, or give the guy a chance.

It is so easy to bash them, and the more they are criticized, the more their mantra of be afraid, be resolved, and don’t let it go resounds, and their minds are filled with discord and blinders. And the more that happens, the more it becomes them vs us.

I believe that Obama was the best possible person to be our President. I bought the Rolling Stone’s Commemorative Edition about Obama. On the back cover, with the backdrop of the American flag, and Obama waving his hand is a quote from a November 2007 speech in Iowa: “Let us reach for what we know is possible. A nation healed. A world repaired. An America that believes again.”

Diana: your questions are very valid and I would love to discuss this topic with others here, particularly Werner and Imaginista because I come from a very once-sided childhood belief system that I try very hard to overcome.

Here is where I come from in why I don’t subscribe to the UN the way others do.

You ask why we wouldn’t want to “join and state our beliefs”. Unfortunately, we have been involved since 1946. For the last 63 we have been on committees and helped draft resolutions. We have been stating our beliefs and less and less seems to get done with each passing year. The CHR was started in 1946 and became such a disgrace that it had to be scrapped completely only to be replaced by something just as bad.

Many people are beginning to feel as if the UN is completely impotent in its current state. The countries that care are ‘spitting in the wind’ when it comes to preventing, stopping or directing any positive change in the areas that desperately need it.

That seems to be the simplest explanation that I have for why I feel this way. I will say as a side note that many in the US worry about an ultimate word government that removes the sovereignty all countries and puts them all under one set of rules.

Colleen, My comments above were general questions to all – not directed at you or assuming your beliefs. I just wanted to open the discussion up so I can understand better the whole UN – don’t join beliefs.

Colleen, you reminded me of those days I was living in North Carolina and having “my” Senator – Jesse Helms boycott the UN by not paying our fees.

I will be the first to admit I am not up on world politics as I should be or as this M&H group seems to be. But, I have never understood the Jesse Helms, Bush and others (mainly republican) belief that we should remove ourselves from the UN and its committees.

How can you ever affect change if you are not even willing to sit down and participate? On the surface it seemed to me to be an elitist thing – believing we are the “world leader’ so we don’t need them – which is not my view.

What is it about being a part of UN and participating in its committees that was/is so wrong? Tell me what the arguments are for not thinking and acting globally as part of this group?

If the committee if full of folks who don’t practice human rights to our standards – then that would be even more reason to join and state our beliefs.

colleen
either than our two main acts NO one can forbid you to come here and they are rather generous, and we here accept inputs from all sides as long as it is informed discussion and not dirt throwing, which you didn’t do.

Werner and Imaginista: Thank you for the conversation. I enjoy debates such as these because it causes me to think more deeply about things and study facts rather than opinions and feelings. Hopefully, even though I lean right, you will allow me back to discuss again future Margaret and Helen topics 🙂

Have a wonderful day tomorrow!! Just don’t let your chestexpand so much in pride that your shirt buttons pop off!!

Hmm. Tornado ro lightning. I hadn’t thought that far but have considered having my kids take me far out in desert and lleaving me. Hooowever tornado sounds good. However my cousin sighed papers refusing food or drink or IV’s. Horrible way to go.

Have a wonderful day to morow! Then you can look forward to being Grandpa!!

JuneauJoeA. I’ll be thinking of you. Be nice to your new son in law. Ha!

I don’t know how it is with your daughter and future son in law, but our daughter’s wedding was the last time many of her and her husband’s friends were together as a group. After high school and college, they had scattered.

James – my condolences to you. Ican sympathize totally as I grew up with 8 cousins. WE spent much time together on holidays and vacations. Today is the service for the one just older than I,she passed from Parkinson disease.
You and my memories are wonderfulI have had a number of clients with back problems and a good massage can be very helpful if your dr approves.

GReytdog, what you read at your FAthers memorial was so neat that I am going to send it to my cousins sons. Thank you for sharing with us.

For those of you who think this blog gets off the original subject, it is just the opposite, It goes the the way a good conversation goes bbetween friends who have awide and fantastic range of interesting ideas. My advice to you is to keep reading and learn some new ideas or just go away. WE are not for you.

Thanks Werner. You taught me something about the language. I didn’t know the difference. Switzerland is an interesting country, especially with the different languages.

I like dialects and language changes too. NPR did a story about them a few years ago. They seem to be surviving.

I remember late one night in Geneva. I saw one of the best looking women I had ever seen. She was perfectly put together. Not even a hair on her head was out of place. She and her friends were obviously partying, because she suddenly leaned over a row of short bushes and threw up.

I like the “killer” retort. I could have used it before the name left me. Moving to think me crazy is a short trip. Ha!

Grandma Ka ie. I hope I remembered your post correctly. I agree about assisted living etc you wrote. If I ever reached that point, I thought of standing in the path of a tornado or letting lightning strike me. What a way to go!!

Thanks for the congrats folks. Wedding is tomorrow.
Not getting any time to get on a computer. I was in an airplane from 10 AM to 8:30 PM to get to the wedding site. They decided I needed to view all of Alaska before getting to Seattle.

James
Switzerduetsch (NOT deutsch) is a completly different language and is hardly understood by anyone who didn’t grew up with it.

I personally LOVE dialects and language changes (Scots for example, or Quebecoise french) but even I hardly understand 30% of the Switzerduetsch spoken to me.

As stated about the Austrian, Switzerduetsch is a language similar, but not quiet like, German….LOL
(I love my Douglas Adams too!)

And Swiss is a tri-lingual (actually four) country
(Something like German, French and Italian and in some remote valleys they still speak reto-romanisch, which is closer to Rumanian than anything else)

And if someone is still calling you “Killer”, just give ’em the “Cleaning-woman” routine from “Dead men don’t wear plaid”, that ussually shuts ’em up.
They might think you crazy, but that’s their misery! LOL

Thanks for the good wishes. My cousin was one one of our group of nine. I am one of the youngest. We have a big family requiring many phone calls.

I think violence is inborn in higher creatures. Even plants engage in struggles to the death, only they do it so slowly we don’t notice without time lapse photography.

My experience with farm animals and pets also supports my beliefs. Public television had a documentary about the lives of wolf packs in Yellowstone Park. Wolves are quite violent. They have social strictures against battles to the death within the pack for its own survival, but otherwise, not so much.

When I was little, my mother used to hit me and rub my face in the rag she used to clean the toilet. We raised our children differently. I only spanked each one of them once. I explained why, and was calm about it. As I spanked our son, he looked at me with puzzled eyes because he thought it was supposed to hurt.

I never spanked him again, but I reminded him of it and asked if he wanted a repeat which he would get if he continued what he was doing. It worked. When the kids were in junior high, they went over the edge and I made them watch nothing but Public television or the network news all summer.

I did not enjoy my thesis defense. Parts were fun, but when a professor asked me “You said this on page 42. However Dr. Joe Blow in his book Blah Blah wrote to the contrary on page 165. He is a noted historian. How do you reconcile your two different conclusions?” “How did O’Neil, Nebraska get its name?”

I agree working within an organization to change it is good strategy. I have done it with Republicans for some time.

Torture made me want to kill. Though it was in self defense, I strangled a man, and all I wanted was for him to be dead. I was so happy when he passed out and his color changed. I stopped, and he miraculously woke up. When the story got out on the base, my new nickname was “killer.” I didn’t like that so much.

Jean,
I look forward to what you have to say as much as I anticipate a new post from Helen. Can’t go to your blog on account of “plug in”. I too once spanked my son out of fear/ anger at myself for not being more diligent. Not a proponent of violence, as I feel it begets more of the same.

Great discussion as always. Love it when Helen leaves ya’ll alone for too long in the parlor.
Bush was born into a wealthy family, but has mental poverty. “God love it”. A nice way of saying I pity the man.

Colleeen
first some appologise, your posts do make sense, after getting a bit more into detail, so I might just have been abit to “combatant” against the right wingers here. Mea culpa.

…Rather than only argue that we should join an organization that does the OPPOSITE of what it is supposed to do why don’t we pressure other countries that agree with us, like Canada, several members of the EU to possibly boycott until true changes are made that help not hurt the entire process……

Not a bad Idea and along the lines what I posted earlier, join the club and mix it up from within, not the newest but still most practical idea.

So, you see, even comming from two opposing points we still can work towards the same goal.

Or to say it a bit different:
I don’t give a rat’s arse on HOW we make it work, as long as the job get’s done and human rights violation (and some of the islamic law IS human rights violation all right) is exposed for what it is.

And I think just exposing the states that do have serious issues, if we do it again and again, so as to keep it in front of the people, will work even better than a boykott.
A lot of people will “vote with their feet” and the countries will feel the impact in trade and tourism.

skyewriter – what’s your defense committee like? What’s the topic of your dissertation? Oh man, I still have nightmares over my dissertation defense. But I really did enjoy it (does that make me a masochist – that’s a rhetorical question, y’all don’t really need to answer that). Good luck! As my thesis prof told me though if you presented a well-reasoned dissertation, your defense will be a piece of cake. (and it is, cuz you really have to know your subject) And WE have the utmost confidence in your abilities. 🙂

Sometimes, whenever I listen to the current crop of pundits, be they “liberal” or “conservative”, I often wonder what Artistotle, Socrates, and even Aquinas would do the poorly reasoned arguments presented. . . I would love to see Matthews, Beck, and Gingrich go up against Aristotle, Kant, and Hume…hehehe and wouldn’t it be fun to watch Lou Dobbs go head to head with John Stuart Mill or Robert Owen. . .

I was reading this last night and I meant to include it in my last comment. It is a quote from Plato attributing it to Socrates:

“But when a man begins to get older,……he will follow the example of the reasoner who is seeking for truth, and not of the eristic (argumentative or controversial) who is contradicting for the sake of amusement; and the greater consideration of his character will increase and not diminish the honor of the pursuit.”

Hooray, skyewriter, for finishing your dissertation! Now you get to sit in the hot seat and fend off brickbats in your orals. I hope it isn’t too painful. Let us know how it goes and where you go from here.

James, take comfort in the memories of your cousin. From what you said about her, she lived a full life on her terms despite some formidable hurdles.

Juneau Joe, so where did your baby daughter go? All grown up and walking down the aisle. Not to worry, she will always be daddy’s little girl.

I have to weigh in on the torture thing. That pretty well caps off an administration that was comprised of a bunch of thugs. Nothing new there, since history is replete with their kind. Any society that tolerates, let alone condones, deliberate torture cannot call itself civilized. Period.

We are all very good at citing any number of ‘authorities’ to bolster our points of view. Ever since the written word appeared there have been numerous ‘experts’ and a gazillion Google references voicing their expertise on a variety of subjects. That doesn’t confer anything more than opinion.

Here’s mine. I feel that calculated cruelty in any form does nothing but engender more and more hatred into a vicious unending cycle.

Violence is a LEARNED behavior in higher animals. The longer the period of ‘parenting’, the more of a learning experience is required. Look at salmon laying eggs, going off to die and leaving their eggs to shift for themselves on instinct. No parenting there. If children are consistently abused in childhood, they learn from those experiences and grow up to be abusers themselves. Humans have a much longer period of ‘parenting’.

That goes for spanking. Here’s a story from my own experience that probably most parents can relate to. I only spanked our youngest son ONCE. Before he was two, he was already very fast on his feet. He had to be! Mommy, daddy and his two older brothers were BIG and the authorities. He was little and had to be moving fast to keep up the pace. But obviously, he was watching all of us and learning from us every step of the way.

He LOVED honey. You all know about the little plastic bear filled with honey. I kept it in a cupboard over and to the right of the stovetop. I wasn’t aware of it at the time, but he had seen me any number of times ‘play’ with the knobs of the stove and put the honey bear away.

Well, he was out of my sight for only a few minutes, pulled up a chair, climbed up, turned on all the burners and got the honey bear down from the cupboard. When I found him, he was standing on the counter, guzzling honey out of the bear and spilling it all over himself and the smoking redhot burners.

In my FEAR and ANGER, I lost it. I snatched him off the counter, pulled down his diaper and spanked his bare bottom with all my might. Then we were both crying and I was hugging him and rocking him. The upshot was I had an unholy mess to clean up with sticky honey all over both of us to say nothing of the stove later.

I’m not sure what the little guy learned that day, but I learned that spanking him only served to release MY fear and anger momentarily. I also learned that I had better keep a better eye on him and distract him with toys and other things that would interest him, until he was old enough to understand the possible consequences of his innocent actions.

I don’t think there was any permanent damage to his psyche from that one incident. He is now a responsible citizen in his 40’s with children of his own. One of these days, I’ll have to ask him how he feels about honey. He did learn to use the stove properly though since he is a gourmet cook by avocation.

Seems like we have a President that sees Bullying, calls attention to it, and follows up with the extension of his hand and a message of hope.

Read that Obama has started engagement with Iran as promised. UN Security Council and Germany have extended an invitation to Iran. It also states that Obama has recorded a video for the Iranian people–and called out the bellicose rhetoric of Iran as of late–(wipe Israel off the map, etc.)

It’s nice to see that the President puts into practice what I teach my students:
We do not bully others.
We help students who are bullied.

At my school, we call out bullying when we see it. But we also put in place the needed follow-up to find reconciliation on the part of all involved in the act. This takes time….but it’s worh it.

A bully does not like to be noticed. Thank you, Mr. President, for extending an invitation to foster a hope for a better future, while remaining honest with all. We can only make progress as two countries if both agree to be respectful of each other.

Being a part of an organization that values human rights, even if there are members with sketchy commitments to the goals, is still preferable to giving up on a good cause.

We are talking about an organization whose elected members are some of the WORST offenders of human rights violations. Just because it has a good name does not mean that it believes it or practices it. I can call something a rose but if it isn’t it isn’t.

Perfection is the enemy of progress.

No one is expecting perfection but given that when Sudan was ELECTED all attempts to stop violations in their country was stymied BY THEM because they had a voting interest in the council it becomes worse than a self-defeating committee it begins to cause and help the violations. Members use the council to protect themselves, not to better themselves.

It should also be noted that the current council is a new organization that was forced mainly because the old one had so many problems with human rights violations. It seems that the world agreed with Bush that the old council WAS more of a problem than a help. From 2006, when the new council was announced, the US has been a silent observer but not an active member because it did not feel that the language in the new council was strong enough to prevent the old problems.

I (or right-winged loonies) are not the only ones arguing that this council is a joke. Human Rights Groups around the world,and the Secretary General himself are arguing that the council itself is used to protect members from criticism and sanction. It has also been used to introduce ‘anti-religious defimation’ language worldwide which silenced an earlier attempt by the council to list the Sharia law of stoning of adulterous women and marriage of pre-teen girls as a human rights violation.

Ban Ki-Moon has called for the US to play a more active role which may or may not be helpful. My only point in this discussion is the belief that being a member of either council, the UNHRC or the CHR was worth a hill of beans. And since the CHR was abandoned completely AFTER the US boycotted maybe he was on to something that other nations that agree with us might want to try.

Rather than only argue that we should join an organization that does the OPPOSITE of what it is supposed to do why don’t we pressure other countries that agree with us, like Canada, several members of the EU to possibly boycott until true changes are made that help not hurt the entire process.

GRandma Kat ie, thanks very much. Yes I do have back pain. I will check it out.

My cousin just died. The call came ten minutes ago. She was injured in an auto accident when when she was on her way to get an award for volunteer service. Her injuries were similar to Christopher Reeves, and she lived for thirty six years in that condition.

She could be a jerk, but she was also an imspiration. She raised two daughters mostly by herself, she traveled to Europe and visited ground zero twice. She also spent time in most of our states, and sometimes gave inspirational speeches. I never could feel sorry for myself when I was around her. Speaking to her made one forget she was paralysed.

My cousin nearly died a number of times, and she also suffered from cancer at one time. She was wild in her youth and sneaked out of the house late at night when the family was asleep.

It wasn’t everyone who could be arrested for accidently sinking a gondola in Italy or having a torrid weekend affair with a waiter in France when she was a college student. She declared herself the black sheep of a family of black sheep.

It has only been a few minutes, and I really miss her. I’m checking out for awhile. I need to be alone.

Sorry gang, I’m coming into this post very late. You know what I wish, that people (especially the repubs) would just shut the hell up and let President Obama do his thing and try to dig us out of this mess. My god, he’s only been in office for what, 11 weeks, and you’d think the way they talk that he should have resurrected the whole economy by now or he’s a complete failure. None of us (apologies to a few) have ever been in this position before, and everybody with any ounce of brain tissue knows it isn’t going to happen overnight. Come on folks, let’s try to pull together.

And does anybody else wonder how long it will take him to stop reaching across the aisle? Obviously he’s trying, but the repubs aren’t having it. I say stop trying. Let’s start doing. We’re all being you!

James – If I remember correctly you have back pain..I wish Iiiiwere able to do it, but if you haven’t tried iit, find a good massage therapist. I have used in the past some wonderful tecniques on the lower back.. Mindyou – a good therapist does nooooooot touch the spine, only muscles. Also, if you can find a practioner of the Bowen technique.(you can read about it on Internet) it is a technique developed i Australia. TEaches the booooooooody6 to h elp heal itselllf. I was researching to find a school that teaches it when the stroke happened.LOL When ever I get use of my hand still would like to take the class.

I agree with Judith. As far as our security is protected we should document actual cases where torture worked and didn’t work. I have heard both sides, but don’t know what is true. Whatever the case, torture is evil and if does sometimes save lives, we ought to understand we are committing awful deeds.

Maybe torture works sometimes and not on other occasions. If our government can’t prove it works, ban it. I also think that if any of our interogaters deals harshly with prisoners, each should have received the same treatment first.

In my case, it did not produce the desired effect. It made me mad and determined to kill. However, my foes were amateurs. Maybe that made a difference.

To disparage an organization merely because it is inclusive is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Human nature is such that when better things are expected of us, we usually deliver. Being a part of an organization that values human rights, even if there are members with sketchy commitments to the goals, is still preferable to giving up on a good cause.

Yes I belive my above statement to be a good idea, otherwise I wouldn’t have made it.

second I didn’t say that this council couldn’t be improved, but I leave this to more trained minds than mine, while I am able to have and create ideas, I have neither the politcal experinece (nore do I want it) nor that administrative knowledge on how to implement them.

But there are people who spend their live studying exactly that, let them do the job. I just like to be able to point out some commen sense to them once in a while, and Helen and her fellow “porch-ers” here are a rather good gang to do so, pitty this blog (with comments from BOTH sides) isn’t mandatory reading for elected politicians…..

Colleen
…the UNHRC’s main purpose is to make recommendations to the General Assembly about situations in which human rights are violated…

and
….It can be argued ‘it takes a thief to know a thief’ but I think it is more closely aligned with asking one thief to pass judgement on another thief’s action…..

I think ONLY by having countries like Lybia, Algeria and China on the council board can it function.

And yes, you are completly right, these countries have human rights issues, but so has the US (Guano bay, CIA secret prisons, etc), so has and had Germany (Immigrations laws, treatment of left wing teachers in the 1970s etc.) and a lot of others.

EVERY country on this planet needs a seat in this council, since only than can one point the finger at the other and things come up into the light and might be looked at.

Then thousand times better ONE accusation to much (adn prooven wrong) then one more violation hidden.

The only thing wrong with this thing is that we do not have a worldwide agency to enforce against PROOVEN violations!

So, while I think the council is a step in the right direction, it is no more than that.

And yes, any country NOT having a seat on it just prooves lack of interest in human rights or leaders to dumb to care….

and point 2) only refers to the lesser of two evils, or that it is better to have some liberal rights in your country than a completly oppressive regime, don’t you think so too?

Answer: It cannot, never has and never will provide TRUTHFUL intel, now useful, this is a completly different kind of animal……

Torture was and is always a political instrument first and powerplay second.

I do not believe that anyone ORDERING torture in the last 4000 or so years was dumb enough to believe to get anything close to the truth, that was always a ruse, but useful, well that is what torture is and was always about.

YOU KNOW WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE YOUR CASE AND YOU ASK UNTIL YOU GET EXACTLY THAT, NOTHING CHANGED MUCH SINCE THE TIME OF INQUISITION, WHICH HUNT (uups sorry caps) or even much earlier.

So, by recognizing torture as “legal” instrument (and don’t try to tell me “a bit of water'” is not torture) you admit THAT YOU HAVE NO OTHER RESOURCE to obtain the intel YOU KNOW YOU NEED!

the UNHRC’s main purpose is to make recommendations to the General Assembly about situations in which human rights are violated

The council is not about protecting people within the member countries as your first two questions insiuate. It is also not in place to insure that the members own citizens are fairly treated. It is about asking the government itself for advice and ideas to SOLVE violations worldwide.

It can be argued ‘it takes a thief to know a thief’ but I think it is more closely aligned with asking one thief to pass judgement on another thief’s action. It just isn’t going to truly solve anything or protect anyone. And makes the whole council itself somewhat of a joke.

I must admit that I don’t quite know where you are going with point number 2. Being or not on the council has NOTHING to do with getting rid of a government or who you would rather be in charge.

I would also like to note that one of Bush’s other problems with the council was its clearly antisemitic votes. The European Union, Canada, the U.S. and the past two U.N. Secretary Generals all have expressed concern over the council’s fixation with Israel. The council is proving itself to be less of a conduit for change around the world and more as a bully pulpit for personal grievances against specific countries.

Should we as a country try and be on the council to illicit change from the inside, Maybe? It might help. But should we criticize Bush’s reasons for not wanting to be on a clearly impotent council with a list of members that leave alot to be desired and that we wouldn’t and shouldn’t take advice from on how to treat their citizens. No.

James
….My guess is their basic foreign nature worked against them and created resentments among Iraqis…..

I think that is the one thing that save Iraq from “going down the drain” otherwise the US would be the only thing local opposition would be able to focus on, and by this the (you have to admit) outside intervention of the US stands in a much better light. After the screw-up of the Shrubb concerning the WMD I think the mess Al Queda created gave to US the only leg to stand on.

Colleen
…it bothers me that we put ANY stock in an organization that claims to be for human rights that takes ideas from Libya or Algeria…

Am I to understand that there are no “humans” in Algeria or Lybia and therefore they have no rights?

Or that anyone who’s government has not got written approval by the GOP doesn’t need human rights?

Or just because these are member of the counsel the whole thing is worthless?

And 2 important points:

1) I don’t try to bash you here, just trying to make some valid points concerning respect of other members of this global village.

2) I do not support Gadahfi or his clan, but think that Algeria has one of the more liberal gouvernments in the arabic world.
While they did and do make decisions that I do NOT support, over all I much prefer them to any Taliban run country or places like Iran.

Colleen, I agree with most of your comments. I have been mildly tortured, and the experience made me a 1.5% disabled veteran. Torture is a pain. We need a definitive definition of torture so debaters are talking about the same thing.

I think we need to document cases when torture was used and its effects. Did it actually accomplish something? Did torture save lives? Mind games have been proven to work if there is enough time.

Hi again Werner. “Swell.” I like that. It is the only time in my life when one pupil was dilated and the other was not. Having nurses shine flashlights in my eyes every two hours wasn’t much fun either.

Werner, thanks again. The more I read from you, the more I like how your mind works.

I agree the United States should pull out of Iraq as security improves, and I like the idea of an election.

A UN force might work. Otherwise, maybe a regional force or even NATO.

I thought I was giving the Iraqis credit too. If not, I apologize for the oversight. The Anninbar Awakening (SP) began according to one account, when an Al Queada leader demanded that a tribal chief give him his daughter in marriage. The Iraqi refused, and his people started to die. He approached our troops who his fighters had previously killed and offered a deal. Similar dramas repeated and the news worked its way up to headquarters.

The United States paid some of the fighters later.
Al Sadr was a force who challenged the government. He had ties to Iran and was their hope of gaining influence there. The first relatively independent military action done by the Iraqi government had some problems, but it cleared out al Sadr’s troops and other gangs in the South. Sadr’s connections with Iran angered the Iraqi government, and made it suspicious of its intentions.

You are right, most of Al Queada were foreigners, many of whom sneaked over the Syrian border. Other natives were former Baathists, criminals, or members of other political groups who allied themselves with Al Queada. Outsiders lumped them all together into one organization. My guess is their basic foreign nature worked against them and created resentments among Iraqis.

I didn’t read all the comments. So I don’t know if this all was brought up. Let me preface by saying that as a republican I am not a Bush groupy or an Obama hater. However, the United Nations Human Rights Council that Helen seems to rejoice in us joining and Bush mocked has included China, Libya, Vietnam, Algeria and Saudia Arabia. Personally, it bothers me that we put ANY stock in an organization that claims to be for human rights that takes ideas from Libya or Algeria. I am much more in line with telling them to ‘pound sand’ until those countries are no longer taken seriously.

Secondly, while I don’t agree with torture or Guantanoma the idea that the U.S. being ‘for torture’ under Bush is a bit misleading since it is pretty much well known that all past wars have included torture of prisoners by all parties, including the U.S. It isn’t like the U.S. never tortured a prisoner of war and Bush came along and sold us on the idea. Like it or not we have practiced it in the past. But it does need to go now and permenantly.

Please give the Iraqi people some credit, they do and can think for themselfs, and even with the extremists much more visible than in other countries I do think (MHO only) that they don’t actually HAVE more than other countries.

And most Al Quaeda operatives in Iraq have been prooven to be foreigners.

MirrormanA, Osama bin ladin said that if given a choice between a strong horse and a weak horse, people choose the strong horse. He assumed we were the weak horse and our defeat in Iraq would drive us out of the Middle East.

Al Quaeda announced that Iraq was the main front of their war against the infidels, and it became a major recruiting tool. jihadists flocked to the region. However, thanks to Al Quaeda’s harsh rule which turned tribes against them about when our surge began, the recruiting tool dried up.Captured papers described Al Quaeda’s defeatist and depressed attitude.

Iran still has operatives working in Iraq, and their plan was to turn the country into a close ally if not satalite state. Thanks to our surge and the Iraqis, Iran has failed.

The Iranian government has met most of the benchmarks our government has made for it, and they assure us they will be able to maintain their own security after our combat troops leave. Iraq is not a garden spot, but its people certainly have the prospect for better lives they didn’t have before.

Our news media no longer gives us a sad litany of dead or wounded solders or daily suicide bombs. That in itself is a tangible sign of our victory. True bombings continue, but with much lower frequency.

This is not what the jihadists envisioned. We denied them their great victory. Iraq is one of two area countries where its citizens can vote with the expectation of a reasonablly fair election. Women now hold political office. Without a doubt, we won. Whether we can hold our victory is another matter. That is up to Obama, and I have confidence he will do what we need to do.

Hussein did have terrorist connections. His government gave stipends to Palastinian suicide bombers, and some al Queada reps were in Iraq from time to time. His government also negotiated with them but as a more secular leader, Hussein didn’t want to become associated with religious fanatics who might endanger him in the future.

Werner Oderwere, yes, we certainly sell arms, and probably illegally too. But that has little to do with Iraq and its attempts to circumvent the sanctions. Most of Iraq’s weaponry was of Soviet or Russian origin.

Saddam Hussein thought he needed weapons of mass destruction to keep his enemies at bay. Most of his generals didn’t know the weapons were dismantled until we invaded. He may also have planted bogus information that intelligence agencies might find. Expatriots who wanted Hussein gone may have done likewise. He fooled everyone.

I found over 60,000 links to Clinton era wire taps. Talkleft.com recalled a 1996 article, Partisan Politics vs. the Bill of Rights. “It was about a host of pricacy-intrusive surveillance measures then being proposed by Clinton and the Democrats in the name of the war on terror. With a few word substitutions line “9/11″ for TWA Flight 800″ and Bush for Clinton, there’s not much difference between then and now. Except that then, conservatives in Congress came to the rescue. Unfortunately, they too are now on the wiretapping bandwagon.”

In May, 1996, Charles Schumer D-NY and John Conyers D-Mi introduced Hr 3409 ” to combat domestic terrorism.” It would expand the powers granted to the FBI to engage in multi-point (roving wiretaps and emergency wired taps without court orders, and to access an individual’s’ hotel and vehicle and storage facility rental records. It also relaxed the requirement for obtaining pen register and trap and trace orders in foreign intelligence investigations.”

Though conservative Republicans helped defeat the measures, the Clinton administration increased wire taps by 30 to 40% during that time.

Kristen Brock wrote “Warrentless Wiretaps:Why Worry?” which appeared in dailyemerald. She wrote the Clinton administration used warrantless wire taps, and Jamie Gorelic defended the practice and said the executive has the power to conduct warrentless wire taps.

The Manchester Guardian reported our secret Service was bugging Princes Dianna’s conversations without the approval of the British security. She was involved with an American billionaire with Republican connections, and he was presumably bugged too.

Margaret Newsham who worked at the Menwith Hill facility of NSA’s Echelon satalite surveillance operation in 1979 said she heard a real time phone intercept of conversations involving Senator Strom Thrumond R-Sc. I did remember it correctly, though I got the date wrong. It happened in 1988 before Clinton was president.

Obama has defended warrantless wire taps too. Since presidents have done it or tried to get authority in one form or another, they must believe threats to our security over ride rights to privacy.

Werner, I am sorry for the pain that has occurred in your life because your father was so caught up in the lies and deceptions of the Nazi Party.

What I do see, though, is that you have worked very hard to open your own eyes and your mind to embrace better and more positive ideas, while warning those of us that may be more naive, that the evils embraced by extremists of all kinds are still out there and can still endanger all of us. I offer a quote i have seen in several places. It really makes me think.

“Fascism will appear in America wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.” Sinclair Lewis

And if you wonder about my dad, watch the German anti war movie called “The Bridge”, my dad was reallt one of these fully convinved schoolboys that belived ine the “Endsieg” while the country was collapsing around them adn they shitted their pants with fear, pitty wass he never grew up politically and staied a german supremist until his death. And I sure loathed him for that.

1) I am sick and tired of any politician with whom you disagree being compared to Hitler. Most comparisons are straw man arguments and the people making those comparisons have little to no understanding of the historical, philosophical, even religious convergences that created the circumstances that enabled a person such as Adolf Hitler to rise to power. Either study pre-WWII history/culture (and not just in Germany) and then talk about it, or shut up. Using Hitler as a comparison is nothing short, IMO, of emotional blackmail.
2) People who claim to be Christians but advocate for the dehumanization and demonization of others are not, IMO, followers of Jesus Christ. They are heretics. And I don’t care if you’re the Pope, Joel Osteen, or the local pastor down the road – when you see the world through a polarized lens, you’re a bigot, not a Christian.
3) If you can’t physically tolerate the smoking aspect of medical marijuana, consider baking brownies. first, you saute the medical marijuana in a bit of unsalted butter. . .then you add to brownie mix. Bake as directed. . .enjoy. Just a helpful hint from HempfulMama 🙂
4) I’ve been enjoying these conservations for a while – and I want to thank ALL of you for making this a lively, thoughtful, and caring place. UAW, please keep us up to date and let us know if we can do anything for you despite being so far flung from each other. James thanks for adding another voice to mix – provocative, annoying, and tremendously thoughtful.
5) and finally – YOU ALL ROCK!

Loosing my granddad in a punishment battalion in Stalingrad (for nothing more that he couldn’t keep his mouth shut and his sarcastic political comments wheren’t welcome at that time) and haveing a dad that was a convinced Nazi until the day he died 5 years ago, I do think I have a right to speak up. And since history is a serious pasttime to me and I study it intensly plus a now 35+ years of active antifa work (you wouldn’t know about that, look it up on the web) I think I do have better sources than your hear-say witnesses who, if at all, can only show you a small widnow of the things as THEY percived them…….

Just FYI, go to my blog, digg through the old post and read how Prescott Bush (“W”s Granddad)financed the war FOR Hitler.

If need be I can throw sources at you, you won’t digg out from before next years spring, if at all.

MirrormanA Google gave me over 9,000 links to Hussein’s bribery. One at Boloji.com described Charles A. Duelfer a weapons inspector in Iraq. He summarized his findings in a report about a thousand pages long. He interviewed many members of the government including scientists.

The picture of Saddam Hussein emerges from this report that has caught little attention with the impatient press that is looking only for sensational headlines. Saddam was obsessed with procuring or manufacturing weapons. His main aim was to have the sanctions lifted, so that he could pursue his ambition with impunity, unimpeded, with the cooperation from willing partners in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

By 2001, Saddam had managed to mitigate many of the effects of the sanctions and undermine international support for them. “Iraq was within striking distance of de facto end of sanctions regime, both in terms of oil export and trade embargo. There was full support from members of the Security Council, especially France and Russia ( and China to a smaller extent.) France had defied the sanctions and had even scheduled some flights between Paris and Baghdad despite the embargo. Items banned the United Nations sanctions were being openly traded with Baghdad, thus underming there restrictions placed on Saddam Hussein after the first Gulf War. Prohibited items were flowing into Iraq disguised as spare parts for agricultural products.

Saddam was quoted as saying “We have said with certainty that the embargo will not be lifted by the Security Council resolution but will corrode by itself.” Hussein believed chemical weapons had saved his regime in the past, but he decided to take a new course by slowly aquiring ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.

The Social Affairs Unit quoted Dr. Nimrod Raphaeli, formerly of the World Band. He said documents found in Iraq suggest that Russians and organizations were the largest recipients of Saddem’s bribes with French individuals and businesses also represented.

The scandal reached into the UN Security Council with only the UK and United States of the five permanent members trying to stop it.

The fact that countries like France and Russia had a financial interest in Hussein’s survival suggests they opposed the war on financial rather than moral grounds.

Joel Osteen can kiss my 78 year old ass!!!
Did anyone see him on Larry King last night?
He calls himself a man of God and then says Gay people should not adopt…should not marry.
I know many Gay people….they are good people. Can’t we just respect everyone??

Sit down and have a piece of pie Charles, would you like it alamode? Who knew it is all about being a American, about our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, our collective morality, and Rush, well he thought it was all about him. Loser!!!!!!!!!!!!

<<Health Net of the Northeast is paying $1.3 million in fines to the state and restitution to Connecticut consumers for improperly denying or underpaying claims and other violations of state law, Insurance Commissioner Thomas R. Sullivan said Monday.

<<He ordered Health Net to pay fines totaling $496,000 — one of the largest amounts the department has imposed — and the company has paid $750,066 in restitution to people whose claims were handled incorrectly.

<<Health Net also was ordered to pay $60,000 to the Insurance Department Education Account, a fund used to educate consumers about insurance.

werner…
“These People laid (with their weapons) the ground work for the orator Hitlerfrom the early 1920s until 1932/3,”…thanks for the support…didn’t I say that Hitler was a great orator….full of shit but a great orator…maybe like Obama….history will tell….depends how the left wing historian write about him…
werner …you weren’t alive to hear him and neither was I but I’ve heard the stories from those that were…and my brother-in-laws dad also was in the German army but he died for the Fatherland…
I got most of my info from a friend’s dad(born sept 1900)…he also hated JFK because his check used to come from the dept of social security instead of the dept of HEW(main word is welfare)….there used to be a stigma against welfare….I showed my dad my first unemployment check and he made me hide it because at the time people thought of it as welfare(not as insurance that was taken out of your wages)….

werner ….my post about stealing was my comment about you having the reply of ????? to skynard at 4-6 09 …1157 am…you asked for an explanation…I gave it to you….you ask and I deliver…
it’s good to know that people think that it’s good to get paid for what they know and not what they do…look at the net and I’m blamed for getting paid to much and not doing enough…
and if people want to talk about brave people…look at Maria D’Antuono the 98 year old woman(Margret and Helen would probably have dirty undies

Do you believe the shit your throwing at us or are you just love to throw with dirt?

Hitler:
(And believe me, I know a bit on that subject)

First he came to power on the help of ex-soldiers that REFUSED to give up their weapons.

They where called “Freikorps”and wher ALL right wing paramilitary groups (apporx. 120) ranging from a few hundret to over 10.000 (Brigade Ehrhardt)

These People laid (with their weapons) the ground work for the orator Hitlerfrom the early 1920s until 1932/3, who with the help of Goebbels (who had the brains, Hitler was more like a figurehead like “W”, no brains but he could stirr the sympathy of the masses)

And the only weapons he took away was from the lefties! Remember, his platform was built on the re-arming of Germany (After Versailles).

And talking about double standards while moving Obama in a line with Hitler……. that stinks!

Congratulations: With this post you managed again to hide your intelligence extremly well!

Mrs. Santos, Indeed us natives are restless. But we are also having fun.

Congrats JuneauJoe! Does the Papa feel bittersweet sorrow and joy at the same time?

Skywriter, did you finish up with your degree?

I watched “Farenheit 9/11” again (thanks Whirled), and was struck with his great editing skills as well as a solid story line. Michael Moore is the Paul Potts of Britian’s Got Talent. An unlikely looking virtuoso with supremo results.

Going back to Vincent Bugliosi’s book, “The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder”: there is VERY little comparison that can be made for the argument that Obama and Bush are the same. Helen’s statement that “Bush was an idiot” cannot in any way, shape, or form be attributed to Obama. GW Bush had more vacation days than any other president in memory. He thought of the presidency as a job that he show up in Washington Monday to Friday, and then go home to his ranch in Texas on the weekends. He took little responsibility for the highest office in the land.

He didn’t read the daily briefs of national security or state of the nation unless it was condensed into a couple of paragraphs, and then maybe not even that. Some of his staff send that he hardly asked any questions, that he was the most “incurious” person they had ever worked for.

He followed the principles of a book (sorry, forgot it’s name) written generations ago that espoused not listening to anyone around you, for they are the Satan whisperers, and to follow your instincts instead. Well, I guess he made an exception to Cheney, though.

The only time I admired Bush was when he left the office and graciously turned it over to Obama. At least he knew how to leave.

But he left us with a nation divided. James and UAW may not have voted for Obama, but at least have more chameleon-like eyes (ability to look out from both sides of their heads) than far righters or far lefters.

It worries me – that divide – much of it based on religious fear and judgments of right and wrong.

I used to say that I hate lawyers, that their careers are based on other people’s misfortune. However, at last weekend’s seminar (Rich Dad Asset Protection and Tax Relief), 3 lawyers taught us about structuring our businesses and estates. They all had started off as libel or get the money kind of lawyers, and hated it. Now they are in the practice of teaching others to keep safe what you own and keeping family relationships intact.

We each met with our designated instructor/attorney to help design the plan that worked best for us. When my husband and I met with our plan administrator, I told him about the bashing of Obama by the Texan in our group (I am SO politically incorrect), and he said, “Obama is doing the best that he can. Everyone should just give the guy a chance”.

I think, therein, lies the answer to our divide: Just give the guy a chance.

“Saddam Hussein was bribing the UN and several European countries to drop the sanctions.”

Fair enough statement. Got some proof to it? Otherwise it’s just hearsay, like the Clinton thing: “A woman said her boy friend worked on the project, and he brought her in one night.”
I can say I am the King of England, but that doesn’t make it true.

“The world’s intellegence community should have known Hussein had destroyed the WMD’s years before and kept the parts for future rebuilding.”

They did know, and they knew that he could keep the parts as long as he wanted, but that the efficacy of those weapons degrades rapidly. That’s why Bush had that tellowcake B.S. presented to the UN to scare them into his little war.

And as far as your “double-standard”, just take a look at how transparent this administration is compared to the last one. At least these people listen to what is being said!

Before we invaded Iraq Al Quiada did NOT have a presence there. Saddam did NOT tolerate terrorists taking up shop in his country. (Make no mistake He was too paranoid and insecure to allow them in, not that he had any moral compass) It was not until we invaded their country did Al Quiada try and to some degree have success at entering. However MOST of the “battles” and killing was between Sunnis and Shiites with Iran fanning the flame, NOT Al Quiada. So when it is proported that we “won” in Iraq, it begs the question who did we beat? and won what? Yes until recently the violence between Sunnis and Shiites has decreased, Al Quiada has quieted down a bit and to some degree has retreated to to where they came, but won? Again I ask won what?

Clinton was wire taping. I’m glad he did. It was supposed to be directed at foreigners. I don’t remember where I heard it, maybe Nightline. A woman said her boy friend worked on the project, and he brought her in one night. She heard foreign voices except for one with a southern accent. Then she realized who it was–Strom Thurman.

I opposed the war in Iraq until we had no choice but to fight our way out of it. In 2004 and later, I wrote on several public forums that Rumsfeld and other war planners ought to be sent to jail or at least mocked and scorned for their mismanagement of the occupation.

It doesn’t matter if Iraq and Vietnam were dumb wars or not. They are no different from a street or school ground fight. If you join a battle, you had darned better win, or bad consequences will follow. Otherwise stay out. Bad consequences followed Vietnam, and they would have with Iraq had we not won. But we did win. It is a tenuous victory, but we defeated Al Quaida there. Our victory has improved the lives of millions of Iraqis. Our niece and her husband will be there for another tour. Conditions are much better than last time. We are in an occupation, not combat phase now.

Iraq presented a potential danger to us. Saddam Hussein was bribing the UN and several European countries to drop the sanctions. His plan was to rebuild his weapons of mass destruction after the sanctions were lifted. Another concern possible instability if something happened to Saddam who was getting old. We might or might not have had to invade Iraq or in the future, but we certainly did it at the wrong time. The world’s intellegence community should have known Hussein had destroyed the WMD’s years before and kept the parts for future rebuilding. His son in law said so when he fled the country in the late 1990’s. I found it on google. My guess is Iraqi expatriots were feeding spies a line to get rid of Hussein.

JuneauJoe, I just scanned the above posts and saw your daughter is getting married. I hope I didn’t read it wrong, and I can’t find the post now. Anyway congratulations. It will be one of the happiest days of your life with some sadness.

That’s all right MirrormanA. I would never call anyone here brainless. You’re all are too smart to even imagine writing that. Yes, Bush sometimes did what he did by fiat, especially when he had a Congressional majority. I don’t see much difference now. Obama has large Congressional majorities which have often shut Republicans out of the legislative process. It is why I prefer for one party to control Congress and the other the executive.

There may be a groundswell against Obama for matching Bush’s policies, but it won’t be any time soon, because he is Obama and not Bush. The press isn’t saying much either, so most people don’t even know. I support some of what Obama is doing, but the double standard is striking.

not that it would be any of your business, but just FYI:
Werner…the comment about paying back your employer was if your at work and blogging then your stealing from the company…

No Iam not stealing from anyone, my employee is perfectly well with ny internet use.

I am a senior helpdesk technician that provides HD support to 7 Fortune 100 companies German employees. Since I run a day-shift my afternoons tend to be slow in business as loong as I have no major outage to cover. So, once my emails are done (mostly in the mroning between calls) and no calls come in I can do whatever I want as long as I don’t watch porn on the job!

Iam payed so I am here if need be, I usually answer any incomming calls in less than 10 sec. (average SLA is <30 sec.) and never ever had a complaint (even when I Filed a few against people that thought they could use me as their door mat) since I work here, but get several commendatiosn PER WEEK from my customers.
(Including VPs and Presidents of big wig companies)

So, rest asured, I don’t “steal” from anyone (don’t need to :-P) and don’t need to be afraid to be caught in anything (we have constant system monitoring, what you think?)

I will have to read your post again, cause if I think I read about Hitler what I think I read we’re in for a big fight!

talk to the old folk and you find that Hitler was a great orator…not the blustering spitting(like Olberman) speaker that the war department and media made him to be….the people that listened to the radios for their news…and could understand German…

If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.” — The Dalai Lama, (May 15, 2001, The Seattle Times) speaking at the “Educating Heart Summit” in Portland, Oregon, when asked by a girl how to react when a shooter takes aim at a classmate

and to the people that say”GUNS KILL” stand in front of me when I’ve got a baseball bat, golf club,horse shoe,tennis racket,medicine ball,bar bell,football helmet, need I add more….lets raise the taxes on all these other sports equipment because of the how dangerous they are….

Oops! Looks like I need toi read closer before I post. Sorry, James, it looks like that comment from from the quoted post and not you. My apologies for that.
But my arguments remain, however. Bush did what he did by fiat, not consensus, let alone the will of the governed. That much is rarely argued.

James, “I am not criticizing Obama for following some of Bush’s policies, including features of the bail out part of the stimulus law.”
Neither am I, although I like the changes that were made, i.e.: capped salaries and bonuses, accurate financial reporting, watchdogs for the whole thing. It’s too bad that the previous administration hadn’t put that stuff into place, because if they had, maybe AIG wouldn’t have blown through half of the money they had previously been given with no explanation of where it went!
“Obama’s administration is also defending wire taping policies Bush and Clinton put into place.”
Yes, and allow me to say that that torques me off to no end! I am pretty sure that there will be a major backlash over this, but I also say: Do your homework! Clinton wasn’t involved in that! Clinton wasn’t wiretapping, his team was involved in physical searches. FISA hasn’t allowed wiretapping WITHOUT A WARRANT for over 27 years.
“We still can send prisoners to foreign countries, and our attack drones are still at work in Pakistan along with a surge in Afghanistan that ‘dare not speak its name.”
Yes, we can, but will we? That’s the question we need to be asking. Governments can always break the law if they wish, the question is will they and if they do, will they be held accountable? And attack drones are fine if they only take out the ‘bad guys’ and not schools, hospitals, or civilian-packed marketplaces. And I personally have no problem being in Afghanistan. Maybe you can remember that that’s where the Taliban and Bin Laden were operating from before 9-11? I have zero problem hunting that man down and dragging him before the world court, but you, and the Bush-Cheney Axis, seem to think that maybe he was hiding in Iraq, of all places. I wasn’t convinced, and it looks like I was right.
“Someone wrote from another message board, “Its’ all well and good to whine about this stuff from the sidelines. When you a is on the line to secure the peace and security for the American people, you are going to look at this differently too.”
Sigh. OK, one more time for those of you who missed the first dance: IRAQ WASN’T THE THREAT! IT NEVER WAS! WE ARE CONSIDERABLY LESS PEACEFRUL AND SECURE NOW THAN WHEN ANY OF THIS STARTED! The nature of terrorism is psychological, so that you feel fear when you would normally feel safe. That’s why 9-11 was so devastating, because no one expected an attack like that. But conversely, no army can keep you safe from such events, because it isn’t an army coming at you, it’s the innocuous lady down the street with the new baby that is actually a bomb that she blows up in a grocery store. The only thing we have accomplished by being in Iraq is pissing off the Middle East and getting a bunch of soldiers killed.
“In fact the chances are you’ll reach he same conclusions that Bush and Obama (and Clinton for that matter) reached. “
Clinton shot cruise missiles at Bin Laden, remember? If that wasn’t an attempt to shut someone up, then my standards are too low!
“Of course it is pointless to remind you all that those of us with BRAINS predicted that Obama would keep on with most if not all of the very same Bush policies he attacked on the campaign to get your vote.”
Brains. Yeah. Stay classy, James.
You know, I really found your posts interesting and informed, and I could read them, right…up…until…that.
I guess we’s all but ig’nant folk, ‘cause ya’ll sure do luv yer cuntry bettr’n we do, cuz you’s smarter, too!
You wish to engage in a battle of wits, go for it! But I make it a practice never to engage in battle with an unarmed man.

I just read something that really has me jazzed. It sure explains a lot. If we just give this a chance to work, we may get our wish about Bush,Cheney and the other felons. We just have to have a bit of patience. Remember, Karma is still out there waiting to nail that bunch!!

I would like to weigh in on the “should we bring Bush and company to trail”?

I am a true blue dyed in the wool democrat…I worked my arse off for 25 years getting democrats elected…I LOVE my President….

It is with great sadness when I say, I think bringing Bush to trial will hurt my party and cause Obama to be a one term president…

However,I think it needs to be done for the future of our country. To restore law and order to our government and right the wrongs of these criminals. Unfortunately it will come with great cost of my party I fear…

So for this one issue I am willing to sacrifice my party and God forbid my new President.

And one more thing:
I think a big part on the tolerance on Obama making a few mistakes (maybe out of in-experience) comes from people remebering and imaging how the Shrubb would have messed up in similar situations.

So beating about the Bush once in a while just keep us aprieciating what we got in Obama!

The Iraq war is a needless war! The Iraq war was also guided by politics and went to hell fast. It took away from Afghanistan and now we have 2 unending wars going. 3 Trillion on Iraq = think of positive ways that money could have been spent.

The VietNam war was foolish. The Iraq war is foolish.
Bin Laden and gang are in Pakistan doing their terrorist thing and Sarah is stinking up Alaska.

We had quite a time in Rochester. A tire started going flat at 11PM. We filled it with anti flat spray and stopped the leak. The main conversation was our impending blizzard.

We worked at my wife’s cousin’s house for nine hours. The executor had not found an auctioneer so we had to. They told us the more stuff we packaged and sorted the less they would have to do and charge for.

Our relatives got text messages that 18 inches of snow would fall by morning. I didn’t believe it, but they panicked, canceled their motel rooms for the night and were gone in less than forty minutes. They abandoned my wife and me. Ha! We worked through dark and were back in our motel room by 11:30PM.

We had a nice sleep and left after getting new tires. I suggested a side trip to Minneapolis, but my wife wanted go get home fast. We entered heavy snow near Worthington but drove out of it as we headed south into showers and thundershowers with occasional small hail and sleet. By Sunday morning, nine inches of snow had fallen here with a 45 MPH wind. Tree limbs came down under the weight of the snow, we had brief power out ages.

This morning, five inches of snow remain, and it is perfect for skiing.

I am not criticizing Obama for following some of Bush’s policies, including features of the bail out part of the stimulus law. Obama’s administration is also defending wire taping policies Bush and Clinton put into place. We still can send prisoners to foreign countries, and our attack drones are still at work in Pakistan along with a surge in Afghanistan that ‘dare not speak its name.”

Someone wrote from another message board, “Its’ all well and good to whine about this stuff from the sidelines. When you a is on the line to secure the peace and security for the American people, you are going to look at this differently too.

In fact the chances are you’ll reach he same conclusions that Bush and Obama (and Clinton for that matter) reached.

Of course it is pointless to remind you all that those of us with BRAINS predicted that Obama would keep on with most if not all of the very same Bush policies he attacked on the campaign to get your vote.

It’s simple common sense.”

I think Obama is doing the right thing, but if he is essentially doing what Bush did, in these matters, who is the idiot? If it was right or wrong under Bush the same applies in Obama’s administration.

Might it be that both were worried about the security of our country? Emotions and bias rule us all. When Clinton was president, Janeane Garafalo said it wasn’t “cool” to protest his wars, but since Bush was a bad guy protests became fashionable again.

You don’t like this blog – move on!
You got thoughts that you feel need to be discussed – write. If you are making stuff up or using Rush/Faux information – back it up! You will be called out for bad information or distorted interpretations.

As to bashing Bush: I feel there needs to be hearings on Cheney/Bush. The economy is in the tank – BECAUSE OF BUSH/CHENEY and their misguided policies. We are just now getting cost figures for the Iraq war. (Remember: The Iraq war was started with lies and it was to be over in 100 days at a cost of less than 200 Million.) Bush created a war game which took money away from health care, educational opportunities for my children and totally ignored the environment. Have you noticed the studies on the arctic break up? Ice breaking apart is like the canary dieing in the coal mine.

Right wings wackos: The Becks, Rushes, Bachmanns of this world are finding fame in giving arsonists matches to play with.

Myself: I am 100% behind Margaret and Helen! I would love to see them on TV myself. I do also appreciate the late night folks who bring great insight into politics. Bloggers are beautiful too.
Liiving in Alaska, I am finding the way to get the real news is to read blogs, like Margaret and Helen’s.

Have a good day!

By the way, I will walk my daughter down the aisle this Friday. I fly out of AK today.

Emuleman, this is not a bush-bashing blog. This is a blog that looks at the mess that idiot left us all with while he goes back to fantasyland. Here we, liberals and conservatives, discuss the issues – I suggest you read back through several postings to understand the intent of the blog. You will find a rolicking debate on almost all the issues you mention – plus some. But if it makes your world safer to think of this as solely a bush-bashing blog, you go right ahead honey. Just wipe up after yourself. No one likes a pig for visitor.

I happen to really like this place, so I guess you can count me in as a far left kool aid drinking liberal and part of a rather large choir.

If I want current news, I find it and read it. That doesn’t make me more constructive. Rather it makes me more informed. btw, I really do notice that we have a new President, and I am glad to say that, every single day.

If I want to be constructive, I go out and donate my time and/or money. I just got a really nice thank you and acknowledgment from the Alaska village of Emmanok. People commenting on this blogsite got many of us donating canned goods and necessities and packing them off to the villagers.

I come here to be amongst friends and friendly foes (or foe-ly friends) such as UAW and James.

Seems like you have nothing to talk about except bashing Bush, in case you haven’t noticed we have a new President.

Isn’t it time to move on, and move forward? Its been almost 3 months and we still need to bash him? Try to be more constructive with your time and energy and write interesting stuff about, oh I don’t know, maybe our new President, his recent trip to Europe, North Korea, the US auto companies, the economy or something more relevant than the constant bashing of Bush.

If you want to be taken seriously you need to talk about things people are interested in discussing, otherwise all you will get is just far left kool aid drinking liberals coming to your blog. Unless of course you don’t want alternative views other than yours. Based on the comments on your blog it seems that is already the case, so have fun preaching to the choir.

Rest assured that I didn’t vote for her (not my district), nor did my friends who live in her district. But on behalf of the state of Minnesota (peopled mostly by moderates and progressives — I swear!), I apologize for The Crazy Lady.

OK everyone,
I don’t often add my comments to this blog. I do like reading it though!
I just wanted to say that I was happy to be a part of this conversation that bloomed after Nov. 4, 2008.
I have to admit that I was apprehensive about Barak Obama as our president. I had confidence in him all along–but it sure is great to get some actual evidence that he is a pragmatic thinker that takes his time to get it right. What a breath of fresh air is blowing through the White House!

If you haven’t read the words of his speech in front of the Turkish General Assembly–do so.

For in his words, he has shown what it means to extend a hand to help and not hurt.
He nailed it when he spoke of how much we have to learn to move forward. Progressive thinking!

Anyways, thanks, Margaret and Helen, for creating this space for people who want to learn more!

My college daughter joined Americorps when she was a Sophomore. You sign up for one year, get paid minimum wage, and promise to work a certain number of hours each week (I think it was 15). At the end of your term, you can apply to Americorps for college grant money ($1000 limit I think) to help pay for school. The other people in her orientation group ranged from 19 to 50 (her guess), so it is not just for students.

My daughter worked for a grade school in an under-privileged part of Flagstaff, AZ. She was a teacher’s aid in the classroom sometimes, or worked in their after-school program for children whose parents worked and had no one to care for them between 3-6 pm.

Americorps was something she was glad to do. She intends to PROUDLY list it on her resume when she finishes college.

Americorps is win-win for everybody.
How DARE that fool Bachmann suggest otherwise.

Amethystlady2: I think that Honolulu Sally wasn’t calling Moore a “crackpot” or “sensationalist,” just repeating the right’s calling him those things. It would be harder to marginalize Bugliosi because of his history.

Honolulu Sally: I believe there’s NOTHING bad about AmeriCorps and its variations — I think your description is just fine. Others, of course, will use it to do what Bachmann did, and find some way to connect it to — shiver — socialism.

I really do like Michael Moore. I don’t think he is a crackpot. I was horrified after watching Farenheit 9/11. He had actual footage of the Bushes and Osamas palling it up, as well as documentation and a host of reliable sources to support the theory of Bush & Co helping to orchestrate 9/11. His 7 minute rolling frame of Bush sitting and staring off into space in the Florida classroom after being told of the 2nd plane hitting the 2nd World Trade Center was the most chilling evidence to me of Guilty, Guilty, Guilty.

I don’t call him a crackpot or sensationalist. His critics and opposition do. It is easy to do, as he is a self appointed story teller without a college degree on a politically incorrect forum. He is brash, bold, and brandishes his microphone wherever and whenever he can. He is radically on the trail to prove his points, and does not fit the stereotype of an authority. He is an in-your-face kind of man fighting for the truth to be told. Those who refuse to believe his message are more than happy to call him a crackpot.

Vincent Bugliosi is a prosecuting attorney. He is not a defense, torte, or corporate lawyer. He puts the bad guys away. When Vincent speaks, people listen. When he speaks, the Bush people squirm because he has years of lawspeak in his bag, a reputation to be respected, and the know how of bringing a legal case to court. My point was that they (the Bush believers) cannot call Bugliosi a crackpot or sensationalist because of who and what he is.

Both Moore and Bugliosi (and Barrie Zwicker) have more cahones than the average man. It would be great if they can work together to expose the crimes of the Bush administration and have them pay the price for those crimes.

However, even if Bush & Co are brought to trial, found guilty, and put in the slammer, it is 6 years too late.

Thus, part of me says let’s just move on, and America really needs to learn not to elect idiots, actors, and pansies anymore.

Now while we don’t refer Michael Moore here, we do understand and respect his work, unlike others.
Sally only said “can be called…..” (see below) refering to what others have said.

So, a small apology wouldn’t be out of line, methinks (only MHO!) and next time, even if you’re gettting mad, investe the time to read the details, and than, if you have the feeling you would like to go mad, please go right ahead, we all do too, at times…..

quoting Honolulu Sally:
This lawyer/author is no Michael Moore. He cannot be called a crack pot and sensationalist. He has hard proof and documentation that we were lied to

Happy to find out your on our side…. but watch out, here are trolls too, from time to time.

Americorps is a “national” program based on the premise of the Peace Corps (Actually, AmeriCorps should be considered a hybrid of VISTA and Peace Corp). Bachmann is a looney tune – she makes Sybil look sane. Anyone who gives credence to that bozo is someone who also believes that Obama is going to take away the guns (excuse me but I don’t think the folks in upstate NY would think that a bad thing), that Obama is a terrorist, and Sarah Palin is a highly intelligent person with strong executive experience. In other words, looney tune.

I looked up AmeriCorps and it sounds like it is the Peace Corp for those struggling in the USA instead of the world. Is there something bad about this organization that may benefit both the givers and receivers with humanity?

What brain suppressed kind of Representative do you have? Me thinks Bachmann is an alien with thetons gone haywire.

Michael Moore is not a “crackpot” nor a “sensationalist”. He is a serious documentary film maker, yet you don’t believe his movie? You prefer to believe a lawyer?

I have nothing against lawyers, but your besmirching of Michael Moore made ME “hopping mad”!

I have heard of Vincent Bugliosi…but not in many years…so I guess I will stick with the “crackpot”, as you have labeled him…

Go watch Farenheit 9/11 … and you will not see “sensationalism” nor “crackpot” reporting.

How much more proof do you need? And why did this lawyer have to be the only one you will accept the truth from? I have known about the Bush/Bin laden family relationship for years…yet no one dared bring it up before…THAT was your true crackpot…not Michael Moore…

I’m all for Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld & company, being tried, and sentenced for murder! Nothing less! But the Capital Crimes & Treason would be good charges along with the murder charge. Say, 4300 murders and counting!

Help. I live in Minnesota. Michele Bachmann is on another rant. Every time I hear her, it is like the music to the old show “outer limits”.

In reference to the new program as an add on to the AmeriCorps program that Obama may sign this week she says:

“I believe that there is a very strong chance that we will see that young people will be put into mandatory service. And the real concerns is that there are provisions for what I would call re-education camps for young people, where young people have to go and get trained in a philosophy that the government puts forward and then they have to go to work in some of these politically correct forums.”

Bugliosi is a hero for this reporting and I think the Bush/Cheney crime cabal should be investigated, prosecuted and held up to the same light of day as any other common criminals, because that is what they are. Barring that, I think they should be sent on a nice overseas vacation where there are very nice people waiting to make them guests at the Hague.

I don’t suggest that any of you read read Vincent Bugliosi’s “The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder”. Reading it gets one mad as hell.

Vincent Bugliosi is a prosecution attorney – a most successful one (won all of his cases 105 out of 106), and he says the case against Bush & Co for ordering torture isn’t going to fly. He’s going for the bigger picture – that the deaths of our American young military and the Iraqi citizenship is the fault of our GW Bush.

This lawyer/author is no Michael Moore. He cannot be called a crack pot and sensationalist. He has hard proof and documentation that we were lied to, the ones in power gave falsehoods to deceive Congress and the American people, that no one wanted to go to war with Iraq except for Bush, Cheney, and their pals.

His outrage was at the flippant way GW Bush would carry on with his jokes, dancing, remarks throughout his presidency in spite of daily reports of our soldiers’ deaths.

Part of me says to let old dogs lie, but part of me says that we need to take action to ensure that this blatant abuse of power never happens again. Otherwise, we may have a president Palin one day who can use her Jimmy Choo shoes to crush any opposition, distort any truth, and order the lives of our people into unnecessary conflict just because they follow their instincts given to them by God instead of actually reading and comprehending information they have the privilege and responsibilty to discern.

I want to thank you for this blog. It is excellent! It is more than time for these things to be said, and I can’t imagine anyone that could write it quite like you do. I just discovered your blog and have been laughing loudly and thinking deeply by turns ever since. Thank you for your efforts and may you keep writing for many years to come. You are my new heroes and I want to be you when I grow up!

I venture to say that the very phrase “quivering liberal feet” disqualifies this pompous moronic ass from labeling himself as ‘that nice Mr. Klavan.’ And he can shove his dumb challenge into his ass-hat.

Last week in these pages, Andrew Klavan, a conservative who writes for the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal, addressed himself to liberals, insisting that “whatever you claim, you still haven’t listened to Rush Limbaugh.”

He concluded with a proposal: “I am throwing down my gauntlet at your quivering liberal feet. I hereby issue my challenge — the Limbaugh Challenge: Listen to the show. … Ask yourself: What’s he getting at? Why does he say the things he says? Why do so many people of goodwill — like that nice Mr. Klavan — agree with him?”

WErner thanks for the tip. EVerywhere I would want to go is too far away !! AS long as I can walk will use the walker.LOL Too contrary to use a scooter as long as I can walk. Thanks so much, tho for the idea.

I have been thinking about the warehouse problem with seniors. I have “fired” a few drs and dentists because they lok at my chart and me and c ease listening “because” everything is old age.
My complaint is that we maybe getting older but we still can think and do!! If I stay here much longer I iwill be babbling. And don’t mention Assisted Living. That is too regimented for me.Activities every afternoon. Bingo and similar stuff? Give me a break. I want something to use my mind with.
This Board and CAre system is good, but unfortunately not covered by Medicare. I am hanging on due to one son’s brilliant managing of my affairs.
My caregivers have been wonderful. However there are only two during the day to look after 5 of us, do the daily cleaning and cooking. Since I am pretty independent and can entertain myself I get left alone pretty much. They are with in earshot if I need something.
Now you all know how important all of you have become to keeping me mentally alive!! I have my computer, cell phone, TV and small radio.
Also, we are free to come and go whenever we want.But when you can no longer drive, youare at mercy of anyone who will come and to
take you out.
Oh someone comes and takes me to the library so I can read!!!

My dear if you read my post, I only stated that some Texan assholes are big enough to drive a truck through, so this is not even all assholes nevermind all Texans (even I met one or two (can’t remebemr the exact number) that where quiet nice (;-P) )
So I belive you’re save and sound and still well loved…

Now about heads up their asses….. completly different kind of animal…..

I saw some where their belly definitly would restict that move, they could try bending backwards, but I’d guess they’s burst on that kind of move…. not a pretty sight.

So I have to say that your statement is right,…… according to physical restraint!

Bitter? I am bothered by the Palins and their lies – typical Repblican, so as I say, not as I do.

Here is the latest on Mt. Redoubt and the oil tanks.
Of course, it is money whichi decides events. There is very little thought of the people or the environment. The big question is: How much money will the oil company lose by shutting down the tanks.

Ha ha! Thanks psychedelikat! That was pure hunk. Dwayne Johnson was another product of Hawaii, went to a public high school, and still comes back from time to time to talk to students from the lower income strata.

Texans aren’t all bad. One of my best friends is from Texas. She cracks me up with her Texas sayings like “she’s got a corn cob up her arse” and “what other people say about you is none of your business”.

Honolulu Sally and Werner: Not everyone from Texas has their head up their ass. But it’s the loudmouths who gives all of us Texans a bad name.

I consider myself a moderate liberal.

I’m not against the death penalty, but believe the way it’s meted out in Texas is way too loose and devoid of necessary checks and balances.

I’m all for raising taxes as long as I get something substantial in return for my contribution.

I fervently believe that sex education should be a standard in health classes in middle schools across America.

I also believe that Welfare is a necessity but can’t continue in a person’s life indefinitely. It should be more of a stepping stone rather than a crutch. I also believe in the Americans with Disabilities Act to the extent that it can help people overcome discrimination and lead more independent lives.

I believe prayer belongs in church and not in our schools, and Creationism should be taught in Sunday school, not in tax-payer-supported classrooms.

Unfortunately, in Texas, many people don’t want to contribute to welfare programs, because they say, “They should go out and get a job!” But then, how can someone get a job if the economy is stagnant, they lack the skills, or homelessness prevents them from doing so?

Woohoo! Good mudflats story Greytdog! Punahou is one of the best schools in Hawaii, it’s just too bad it is private. Here in Hawaii, we all love to hate Punahou, but know it really is a fantastic school with its huge endowments from big whip alumni (like Steve Case of aol who donated millions to build their intermediate school building). As one person put it, the rich get richer, and in the case of this school, the best get better.

This school was Barack Obama’s school. I find it curious that the school didn’t go ape shit crazy about him when he was running for President.

Barack Obama had a humble upbringing in a rich man’s school. He was one of a handful of African Americans in a school attended primarily with haoles (whites), 3rd generation Chinese, Japanese and hapas (mixed racially, usually haole with oriental).

Although it was/is a great school with the best programs and athletics, I am guessing that Obama didn’t feel like a part of the school the way most of the other more affluent and connected students felt. He did not have the “upper class” distinction and because of that, became a better person. He had the broader sense of having an appreciation for the benefit of great education without being sucked into the notion of entitlement.

Now, 30 years later, Punahou is still a school at the top, and leading by a chasm compared to our public education secondary schools here.

As a resident of Hawaii, and a product of our public schools, I am ape shit glad that Barack Obama had Punahou as his school. Without that kind of excellence and success orientation, he may not have aspired to become the man he is today.

However, what I love most about him is his humble past. Because of it, he now works to bridge the gap between the haves and the have nots, the powerless and the powerful. He has each one of us in his heart and prayers, and Amen for that.

Yes, thank you Greytdog for the valuable input and for painting a sad but realistic picture of why we so desperately need health care reform. Unfortunately, this EMT you spoke of is exactly the kind of person the pundits on Faux News were calling “whiners” last week. “We live in a competative society, you lost so you’re whining, wanting a hand out, blah blah blah.” Which is why the Republicans lost. That mindset just doesn’t sail anymore and the Republicans just can’t get that through their thick skulls.

Unfortunately, workers compensation “healthcare” is but the tip of the iceberg. There are divisions devoted to eldercare which have nothing to do with care at all – but with warehousing. And most of those decisions (this I’ve learned in conversation with case managers who left the industry in sorrow and disgust) are literally based on age alone – if so and so is 82, is it medically necessary to run a procedure that costs $$ in order to prolong life? Can’t we just do option B since “patient” is old and probably will die soon? Warehousing usually occurs against elderly who are disenfranchised from their families, or have outlived their peers, or who have fallen through the cracks of an off-track system and no one cares. . . and in Florida, anyway, it seems, in my opinion, that many of the medical staff at eldercare facilities are usually medicos who are merely biding their time to get hospital privileges and enough $$ to start their own practice. . .the care they give is cursory at best and negligent at worst.

Greytdog — that’s a stunning and yet not surprising summation of what I consider the major problem in health care in our country: the profit motive. If we could somehow get that out of health care I think we’d be a lot healthier as a country.

I have no idea how to do it — a friend works for Kaiser, a non-profit — I don’t know how they do business, but I have to wonder if it’s not a better way.

On a different H & M post, someone told poor people to get a job so they could get health insurance, and I fear that that’s far too common an attitude. EVERYONE should have access to as healthy a life as is possible, whatever their financial status. The idea that some people deserve good health more than others do is simply inhumane.

Kudos to members of the Iowa Supreme Court. They are a neighboring state to mine, and I never knew about their history. For those who didn’t read the same article as me:

Iowa has a history of being in the forefront on social issues. It was among the first states to legalize interracial marriage and to allow married women to own property. It was also the first state to admit a woman to the bar to practice law and was a leader in school desegregation.

Here’s part of their recent decision:
“We are firmly convinced the exclusion of gay and lesbian people from the institution of civil marriage does not substantially further any important governmental objective,” the Supreme Court wrote.

Susan in CT – I’ve never sat in actual claim meetings, but I’ve attended plenty of “strategy” meetings held between insurance carriers and the managed care companies (until recently managed care was mandated for workers compensation in FL). Usually in attendance: insurance adjuster assigned to the case, insurance supervisor, the nurse case manager (NCM) handling the medical files, the NCM Supervisor, the Managed Care Branch manager, sometimes the employer/supervisor ,and then me cuz I wrote the return to work program. So the NCM would present the file with the adjuster adding in tidbits – these files contained all conversations between the NCM/Patient, NCM/Adjuster, NCM/Medical Provider(s)… note: if you are in a state with mandated managed care for W/C and you go into litigation, make sure your lawyer requests all the managed care files including conversation summations (these are time/dated) – basically the questions included: was treatment medically necessary? what tests can we order that will prove patient in committing fraud? If the person is designated light duty, what work can be provided to prove they are capable of regular duty? What pain management doctor can ensure the patient returns to work immediately and thus lessen W/C premium costs to the employer. I would sit there appalled as the NCMs would present the cases immediately as fraud and suggest all sorts of things to prove it. Or would disparage the doctors requesting additional testing or treatment (usually in neurological cases). And a lot of the meetings were devoted to delving into proving pre-existing conditions that would negate the existing W/C claim. I used to come home with massive headaches from those meetings. I hated them. A non-medically trained person deciding medical issues – an RN using their medical knowledge to teach others how to do end-runs around health care – and the only thing under consideration was the health and wellbeing of the bottom line. I once asked an adjuster how she made medical decisions – to which said, I don’t, I make sound financial judgments. This has nothing to do with health. (This was after a meeting to decide if further treatment was medically necessary for a young EMT who had been broadsided while taking a patient to the ER – patient died, ambulance driver died, he was trapped in truck for 2 hours trying to render aid – suffered broken back in three spots, shattered left leg, broken collarbone, and had to be transfused due to loss of blood, and later showed signs of PTSD. The adjuster and NCM felt the PTSD was faked and were denying his claim for continuance) So he was denied. . .and then the company began to deny additional pain management care. . . I talked with him several times and tried to get him the care he needed. HE was not only PTSD but starting the path to suicide. I was downsized and never did find out if he followed through. When I told his NCM about his calls to me and the ideation of suicide, she replied oh that’s just another ploy. THEY do that all the time.

Nuggets of wisdom, lessons of life more easily learned – there are gems in comics books. Now I’m gonna date myself here – but as a kid, I discovered Classic Comic Books. . .full-length books in comic book form. We lived in a very small mountain village in SE Asia and about a mile or so down the road was the only doctor for about a 500km area. And he had turned the room next to his living quarters into a “library” – loads of books (mostly medical), leather bound classics in about four languages and then his treasure trove – shelf upon shelf of Classic Comics bound into leather covers, 6 comic books per cover. While he worked with patients, while he conferred and worked with my parents he shared those books with us. It was there that I first read Tale of Two Cities, Ivanhoe, Beowulf. . . and carried the joy those gentle versions provided into my eventual reading of the books.

I used to be a comic fanatic too. Those super heroes had flaws, and yet they had cahones and convictions. The Incredible Hulk had it the worst. He was always so angry and never did get his girl back.

My favorite was (don’t laugh) Conan the Barbarian. I would go down to the local library and trade comics with young boy adolescents to build up my mint/near mint collection (still have it!) What I admired the most about Conan was that he never gave up. He battled and battled and battled (and of course always won).

Of course he wasn’t as succinct as Captain America, or as cranial as Spiderman. He was just blood, guts, glory and determination, with a hunky body.

Did you know that Barack Obama collects Conan too? Wouldn’t it have been a trip if he was one of those youngsters that I used to trade with back in the 70s!

LOVED Ironman the movie. Would love to see a remake of Conan with Dwayne The Rock Johnson in the lead. Arnold just didn’t cut it as Conan for me with his face and accent.

Godspeed indeed, for President Obama. He needs his support cast of super heroes to vanquish the asshats and bring back Truth, Justice, and the American Way.

I was resisting this, for reasons I will explain later, but you ALL, especially UAW, should read this:

For in a republic, who is “the Country”? Is it the Government which is for the moment in the saddle? Why, the Government is merely a servant- merely a temporary servant; it cannot be its prerogative to determine what is right and what is wrong, and decide who is a patriot and who isn’t. Its function is to obey orders, not originate them. Who, then, is “the Country”? Is it the newspaper? is it the pulpit? Is it the school superintendent? Why, these are mere parts of the country, not the whole of it; they have not command, they have only their little share in the command. They are but one in a thousand; it is in the thousand that command is lodged; they must determine what is right and what is wrong; they must decide who is a patriot and who isn’t.
Who are the thousand–that is to say, who are “the Country”? In a monarchy, the king and his family are the country; in a republic it is the common voice of the people. Each of you, for himself, by himself and on his own responsibility, must speak. And it is a solemn and weighty responsibility, and not lightly to be flung aside at the bullying of pulpit, press, government, or the empty catch-phrases of politicians. Each must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, and which course is patriotic and which isn’t. You cannot shirk this and be a man. To decide it against your convictions is to be an unqualified and inexcusable traitor, both to yourself and to your country, let men label you as they may. If you alone of all the nation shall decide on way, and that way be the right way according to your convictions of the right, you have done your duty by yourself and by your country–hold up your head. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

That was the original quote by Mark Twain. And I am ashamed of myself that I had not known of it until I a read comic book.
I am not ashamed to say that a lot of what I learned of what is right I learned from comic books.
I learned from the X-Men that being different wasn’t wrong. In it’s own way, it was a gift.
I learned from Spider-Man that with great power came great responsibility. I learned to be careful with what I chose to do because my actions had consequences.
I learned from Captain America that although I loved my country, I didn’t necessarily have to support those in power.
For those of you who would like to read it in context for yourself, please go to: http://captain-america.us/articles/civil-war.htm

But this is how it is for me (and I know I am repeating myself, but I didn’t want to lose the context).
I apologize for this, because it’s not only comics, but a lot to read. But if this is what is being sold to the children of this country, I think we should bow down before the next artist we meet, because what follows keeps me going, day in, day out:

From the article:
“So far in the Civil War we’ve seen Captain America at his best and possibly worst occasionally. He’s been beaten by his old friend the Iron Man and saw tragedy, but continues to keep up the good fight for freedom in the Marvel Universe.

The cause of the Civil War, the death of school children after a villain named Nitro literally explodes during a battle with the New Warriors. This event creates public uproar leading to the Super-human Registration Act, which enforced the mandatory registration of super powered individuals with the government. Failure to comply meant being imprisoned in the Negative Zone in an inescapable prison. Iron Man and Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four stand by the Act fighting against heroes like Captain America who oppose the Act.

At first Spider-Man sided with Iron Man against Cap, but later realized he was on the wrong side and went public with his decision to go against the Registration Act.

We all know that sometimes the worst times can bring out the best in us, and the Civil War has allowed us to see a glimpse of Captain America’s fighting spirit and sense of right and wrong.

The most revealing and inspirational moment from Cap I’ve found so far in the Civil War storyline comes not from Captain America’s book, but Amazing Spider-Man # 537.

On a rooftop, (Where else do superheroes talk?) Spider-Man points out to Cap that most of America has Cap down as a traitor. Spidey then just wants to know how Cap deals with it.

Cap turns away and says, “I remember the first time I really understood what it was to be an American…What it was to be a patriot.”

“I was just a kid…A million years ago, it seems sometimes. Maybe twelve. I was reading Mark Twain.

And he wrote something that struck me right down to my core…something so powerful, so true, that it changed my life. I memorized it so I could repeat it to myself, over and over across the years. He wrote –‘In a republic, who is the country?

Is it the government which is for the moment in the saddle? Why, the government is merely a temporary servant: it cannot be its prerogative to determine what is right and what is wrong, and decide who is a patriot and who isn’t. It’s function is to obey orders, not originate them.

Who, then is the country? Is it the newspaper? Is it the pulpit? Why, these are mere parts of the country, not the whole of it, they have not command, they have only their little share in the command.

In a monarchy, the king and his family are the country: In a republic it is the common voice of the people each of you, for himself, by himself and on his own responsibility, must speak.

It is a solemn and weighty responsibility, and not lightly to be flung aside at the bullying of pulpit, press, government, or the empty catchphrases of politicians.

Each must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, and which course is patriotic and which isn’t. You cannot shirk this and be a man.

To decide it against your convictions is to be an unqualified and inexcusable traitor, both to yourself and to your country, let men label you as they may.

If you alone of all the nation shall decide one way, and that way be the right way according to your convictions of the right, you have your duty by yourself and by your country. Hold up your head. You have nothing to be ashamed of’.”

Cap continues, “Doesn’t matter what the press says. Doesn’t matter what the politicians or the mobs say. Doesn’t matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right.

This nation was founded on one principle above all else: The requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences.

When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree besides the river of truth, and tell the whole world–

–No you move.”

I guess I’m getting old and sentimental, but I swear sitting there reading a Spider-Man comic book of all things, I felt like I could almost shed a tear.

This is what heroes are all about whether real or imagined, the ability to inspire.

I can’t help wondering what meetings at the health-insurance companies are like, and just how callous their proclamations are about their ways to avoid paying claims.

Also, I don’t think Karl Rove has gone anywhere — he’s just pulled the invisibility cloak around himself and is up to his nasty business behind the scenes. I can’t imagine him EVER putting aside his arrogance and his desire to control things.

JuneauJoe – thanks for the compliment, but thanks even more for the link. WOW. Chilling is right. And spot on.
Maybe it’s just the way I tend to envision things, but as I read that article, I could a stark stage, backlights on very dim, almost nonexistent. Spotlight comes on with the first paragraph – man, seated at desk piled with letters. . .reading out loud. . . then spotlight picks up a woman. . . who continues the monologue. . . dims out as another voice/spot. . . and so on. . .and with each phrase, Help me or I will die. . .the spot light flickers off that person. . .until finally all that is left is the man at the table, reading letter after letter after letter. . .

Dear Helen = I have been so proud of our President and our First Lady this past week! What an astounding reception they had and what a boost to our sad standing in the world. Don’t want to burst your bubble, but there is a thing the Republican movers do when Ann the Hagard writes a book. They buy in bulk numbers and give them away to make it look like people buy her books. Yes, there is about 20% of those crazy, nutjob right wing ultra-conservative Republicans that are taking down the Republican Party, which is a fun thing to watch. What happened to their messiah Karl Rove? He must have run out of hot air. Luckily their stars are on the wane, but we do need to be vigilant and not let them take over again. I think the crazies are thinking of starting a third party, which I think would be wonderful – for us 🙂 Love your writings!

A’ishah, our disregard for others over the last couple of decades is an abdication of our national values. I don’t think we can blame any single person – I think, if anything, W (and perhaps moreso, Cheney) was merely the embodiment of what we, as a nation, had become – egocentric, paranoid, and arrogant. I think Obama, during the Strasbourg townhall meeting, hit the nail on the head – we, like Europe, had become complacent in our arrogance, and in doing so, harmed ourselves as well as others. When the tsunami hit Thailand, Sri Lanka, & Indonesia, when Katrina devastated the Gulf States, that spirit that unites us – caring – was evident. But it’s in the everyday shared responsibility in which our NIMBY-centric viewpoint stood out. I hope, as we regain a sense of our true national self we will once again become leaders through example that we are not merely a nation unto ourselves, but a pathfinder that others will follow willingly and with hope.

You think not being on the HR council is bad? It gets better. We are one of two countries who haven’t signed the Rights of the Child document…the other is Somalia. Somalia does not have a government to speak of.

Good ones Whirled Peas. The late night television shows have me back peddling from my earlier theory that the right wing nuts don’t have people with funny bones. Listened to within the context of Letterman, Stewart, and Colbert, I guess those guys really are funny.

Here is a blogger from Wasilla with the most recent info on GINO Sarah and her recent exploits. This week she was in Ketchican saying she stopped the Bridge to NoWhere, when everyone in Alaska with half a brain know the real story. Sarah has had a bad week too. It kind of sounds like she is taking all of the Stimulus money kind of, maybe also.

Grandma Katie, How about if Sarah P donates her own mounted head to The Queen’s hunting lodge!! After all, wolves are an endangered species, aren’t they? Politicians like Palin are a dime a dozen!! LOL!!

You’re right Greytdog, America was always there. It just really felt like it wasn’t the America I was proud of. It felt like an America on the destructive path, and it was frustrating to say the least.

Your quoting of the Declaration of Independence: “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government”…

Didn’t it seem like the last 8 years were destructive of our rights and against the consent of the governed?

Granted, this great document was written with the British’s rule over America, but some of it sure sounds a lot like the Bush/Cheney reign to me.

HonoluluSally – I think America has always been there. Scratch the surface, turn over the compost pile, and you’ll find healthy growth – renewal – sprouting in the fertile soil of freedom. . .I think we forgot that freedom equals responsibility – not just to ourselves or for ourselves, but that literally united we stand. United doesn’t necessary mean that we must march in lockstep, but that we move forward, together. . . it doesn’t mean that we won’t or can’t argue about which path to take, but that we understand, underneath the craziness, underneath the name calling, underneath the real vs not-real American divisions, is a strong belief that we, I hope and believe, all hold dear:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

Just finished watching some Stephen Colbert. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are really the funniest most intelligent entertainment personalities around.

If you have the time, check out their full episodes at theDailyShow.com or ColbertNation.com.

Right now what cracks me up is the Sonic commercial between each and every break of their online recap show. Granted, it is the same commercial every time about the Sonic $1 value items on the menu, and I know what the punch line is, but everytime the man says it, it cracks me up!

It is easier to laugh and enjoy life when you feel hopeful and believe we have the right President in place finally. I really feel good nowadays. I have a canvas tote bag that has an American flag on the front, and above the flag is the word “America”. Under the flag are the words “Returning January 20, 2009”.

Whirled Peas: I think it was about a year ago I heard about googling “miserable failure” so I did it, and I couldn’t believe what came up. I can’t remember laughing so hard even though it was all true. I was doubled over in my chair, peeing all over myself, choking, spewing coffee out of my nose, and crying all at the same time. Every single entry, for pages and pages and pages was about Shrub. It was the best thing that happened over those 8 years.
UAW; if you have some time, please google Dr. Johanna Budwig. She was a German biochemist who was nominated 9 (?) times for a Nobel Prize for her work in cancer research in the early 1950s. Her success came basically from a combination of flax seed oil and cottage cheese. Some time in the last decade, Duke University “discovered” the same results.
There is a lot of information to be found, and I hope you’ll keep an open mind to alternatives to chemo and radiation, or at least in conjunction with them.
Just never give up hope. From a personal experience I know someone with stage 4 cancer who refused chemo and decided to let healthy foods do their thing. He’s been cancer free for 12 years now. Best wishes.

It sounds like GINO Palin has decided to take all of the Stimulus money. However, she can line item veto anything she wishes as time goes on.

SOAP OPERA: Levi and fam will be on national TV Monday, so the soap opera will continue.

Press Releases: GINO sends out press releases about how rotten Levi is and how she is being mistreated. Palin does not send out press releases about the stimulus. We kind of know because she sent a message to a few chosen people and so it kind of looks like she will accept the stimulus money maybe too.

We have a volcano erupting and mudflows down a river onto 6.3 million gallons of crude oil tanks but Gino is silent on this one also too. (They are supposed to take the oil out of the tanks today.)

NEXT WEEK: The soap opera will continue and continue and continue. The never ending soap from Alaska.

Just think what a good first family PJuneau Joe you can write reams more.alin would make. Illegitamate grandchild begore doaughter graduates from HS who won’t let daddy see baby away from home, prospective MIL arrested for dope selling, SIL arrested for burglaty, etc.
I am sure Juneau Joe you can add much more to the list. And how about Newt Gingrich replacing her as keynot speaker. The repugs want more of the same of last 8 years.

Todd Palin would have a great time with Harry!
He could coach them on how to cecede from the Royal Palace and the correct way to buzz a house without getting called out. Todd would show up in his snowmachine outfit too also. FOX news would be there to record it all.

Rush would pee all over himself from happiness and want to be part of it.

Welllllll. . . the Queen has her own family problems. Lez see – Charles and Camilla could talk with Bristol about the joys of pre-marital and extramarital sex; Todd and Harry could engage in some racist and fascist giggles together; Sarah could annoy William by constantly trying to compare herself to the late Princess of Wales (you betcha!).

Grandma Katie,
I am so impressed with the President and the First Lady too. Her remarks to school girls was so great!
I have 3 daughters and I like the fact that they have Michelle as a role model. President Obama is a class act, such a refreshing change from W.

Sarah would talk about seeing Russia from her house and skinning that moose, and telling her daughters to abstain from sex as they come out of the bedroom with their boyfriend with almost no clothes on.

It would be colorful. The Bush clan would enjoy it because it would make GW look brilliant.

JUNEAUjOE -I wrote this all in caps the first time!! The more Iiiiiii read about y ou8r GINO themore I am in hysterical disbelief. CAn you Iimagine her meeting the Queen> Probably wearing her moosehunting outfit and carrying her moosehunting gun (after all the Bush kid wore blue jeans!) and then giving the Queen one of her famous winks!!
Then the contrast of the Obamas. What a difference. The Prez has done more, and travelled more in 10 weeks than shrub did in 8 years. Does he ever sleep?

Wherever your wife takes chemo, there should be support groups. I worked with a great nutritionist and internist/integrative medicine during my treatment, as did my sister in Seattle. I had a whole list of foods that were packed with antioxidants that would not compromise my treatment. Smoothie idea is wonderful, as is asparagus- some good foods may taste/smell terrible.

I never tried marijuana, but I know others who have. We have a medical marijuana law in Colorado-

You and your wife are in my thoughts and prayers- warm hugs to you both.

As usual, you are right on! I agree with everything you said. I have read enough about what the Bush Administration did to wonder why many of them aren’t in prison. Thankfully we have a principled and intelligent president now. Every day I am grateful for President Obama. The things he is doing to turn around our country bring tears to my eyes. Really!

Uh. . .okay let’s give kudos to the Prez and the First Lady. But let’s not go wingnuts okay? The “mediation” was over semantics. . .and yes, diplomacy is semantics and nuance. And once Obama pointed out the nuances, then France and China went. . oh okay. I’d say it was more nudge than a mediation. Bush on the other hand wouldn’t even have noticed. . .he would have been opposed to exposing tax havens. . .cuz our corporations and ponzi schemers LOVE those tax havens, you betcha!
And Chris Matthews is the MSNBC version of Beck. What a doofus. Chuck Todd had to explain to Matthews today that most Europeans speak two languages (unlike Americans) and therefore the need for translators was almost nil at the town meeting in Strasbourg.
Did anyone see the youtube vid of the Queen and Italy’s version of W? My, the Queen was in rare form.

Just want to say that President Obama and the First Lady are Great! I appreciate them for their quality and thoughtfulness on the world stage. President Obama mediated between two world powers and Michelle gave hope to school girls!

I was once informed by a co-worker, newly come from Iowa, that Iowa contained no gays whatsoever. Straight face, completely sincere. I tried to debate the point for several minutes, but finally gave up and just laughed. My, she did get peeved.

When I heard the story about Obama helping mediate a conflict between France and China in the midst of an overwhelming schedule during the G20, I was immediately asking myself “what would Bush have done?” Answer – sucked his thumb in a corner.

In Alaska, we are on a daily dose of Palin crap. Someone invite her to speak out of state – PLEASE!
Dancing with Stars! Big Brother – anything, Give Sarah her fame fix outside of AK for awhile. make it such a good deal that she does not want to come back.

That was a great post! Thank you. I don’t know which one of you lives in Maine, but where I live (in Maine) almost all my neighbors think Obama is the idiot. I’ve stopped going to my local store, because this is all I hear, this fear and loathing. I’m the “nutty liberal” who doesn’t see that America is going down the socialist toilet. Right here in my town, the local idiots put up a photo of our president with a Hitler mustache. And they call themselves patriots! It’s frightening.

Hey Raji – wherever you buy the supplements, the store has a vendor rep they deal with. request the information from the store – and if they are conscientious about customer service, they will ask their rep. Let them know that a quality control report is not the answer – that you are looking for the source of the protein – USA vs Asia (and don’t let them give you the spiel about how the US company oversees the production quality in China/Thailand/Brazil, etc. it’s BS), where in the US, if the product claims to be Wild Alaskan Salmon, for instance, ask where the cannery/production facility is located (that usually tells you a lot) Approach the topic the same way you would any human foodstuff. . .Then if the rep isn’t forthcoming (and your provider isn’t helpful) just start going after (politely but firmly) the company. I usually start with the PR people, then the R & D, and then I start sending letters (with CC to local news outlets that run consumer report stories) to the bigwigs of the company. I may be “dogged” but never “catty” about my requests for information. 🙂 Also just let me know some of the items and I can contact some folks to see what they know (lots of forums out there with very smart people in the animal nutrition sector)

Grandma Katie: RE: Sarah Palin, She is a piece of clueless work! She had polls of 90% positive last year, now they are about 45% positive. We have a republican legislature, so she is not being called on the carpet as she should.

I have only been in AK for 1 1/2 year and I am amazed at her arrogance and basic uncaring for many of the people in AK. She is like a female Bush in many ways. She surrounds herself with Yes people and then says everyone lies about her.

I would be surprised if she gets re-elected if she runs. She might skip the Gov race and go straight for the Presidential race.

It is a soap opera with Sarah. We have at least weekly but even daily stupidity from Sarah or the Gov’s office. She now says Begich, our new Dem Senator should step down because Ted Stevens had his convicted reversed. (The Govenment lawyers did not share information with Stevens side and because of that the case was reversed. Ted still got a fully remodeled home for a small price, which is illegal anywhere else. People are in jail for such things.)

Politics here depend on what Sarah wants seems to me and her political ambitions – crazy stuff.

Then we have Eric Cantor–Mr. “Holier-than-Thou-Family-Values” himself–using an Aerosmith song (without their permission, of course; that IS the Republican Way, you know) about a man going to a brothel to celebrate their attempts to submarine Obama’s first recovery bill…

But then Cantor, not quite through yet, then went on to try to snub Obama by not attending his press conference, and instead going to a Britney Spears concert, after which he said, “My daughter is going to be mad when she finds out I went and didn’t take her”…

Then, just in case we weren’t quite convinced of his asshattery, he accused Democrats of overreacting to our sewer-bound economy and our frightening unemployment numbers.

I thought Bush Jr set the bar pretty high when it comes to being both clueless about, and insulting to, the American people, both at the same time.

Question for greytdog: How do you get a company to reveal their source of bovine/chicken/shrimp/crab used in joint supplements? The only response I can get is a report of their quality control. Any suggestions? You apparently had success in researching dog food components.

OMG you guys are really great. Never thought I would learn so much on a blog. Werner, you are such a wealth of info even though I don’t understand a word of your french (took it for 4 years “F”). Had to pass on the butter recipe to my kids. They think I don’t have a clue.

Whirled peas, I do think you found the humor you were looking for in those links 🙂

avoidingstasis, I think you have found a great group to relate to. So glad you became part of the family and so sorry for your recent loss.

Granma Katie, if your caregiver used your computer she probably erased the browser’s cookies and cache after use which eliminated your name in the comments. Just be sure to check when leaving a response that your name is there and if not start over then the next time you come online it should appear.

JuneauJoe – I just went back a read your link about Palin. Can’t you do something about her?? She is like you put a ll the repugs in one boodyand wrapped her up with all their awful ideas. How do you Alaskans stand her>

Werner – thanks for the kind words. I was afraid this worm had infected my computer! My caregiver uses my computer. Will check with her to see if sh e erased anything.

thanks to all of you who gave me sympathy and links and warmth and reasons to smile — you’re such a smart, articulate bunch of folks, fully worthy of Margaret and Helen!!!
especially, thanks:
the other KarenavotresanteΔ, ^tine (go get ’em!), Werner Oderwer Δ, Laura, Annette , JeanDaulphin, Jan (no, not from Wallowa, but send her my best thoughts too)
Carolyn

avoidingstasis – hang in there. Theposters here are willing to give allkinds of help an supposrt. I know I have been the reciepint of much. Thanks to all of you.
UAW BEst of luck to you and your wife. Also try California.

Have been reading all the previous. After we have been lied to so many times and threatened with being Unamerican if we raised a voice in disagreement, ppperhaps many are like me. I figured I would just not pay attention as it made my blood pressure go up.
After suffering thrugh REagan and His group of crooks, then Papa Bush , what did we expect to accomplish? Then came shrub and stealing the election, Self explanitory.
And now we have aPresident and First Ladey to make us hold our heads up high!!
.

So all you gotta do know is start the application (to cover your ass) and than get some decent herbs that are NOT grown seedless, setup a home grower and in 6 – 8 weeks (max 12 without lamps) you should be self sufficiant (MUCH better on the finacial side) you would maybe buy once or twice a year to cross plants as to keep faryity up and plants healthy.
But all the info you need for that is on the web. (Well downside is that you can’t avoid contacts with us lefties in that ;-P)

OMIGOD!!! Thank you all – what a bevy of information you (we) progressives are, eh? I have to laugh at us – we are such old hippies! Uncommonsense – thanks for the links to the MI medi-juana information. UAW, hope this helps you all. No one wants to go against Federal Law, but sometimes pain management means just that, unfortunately. It’s a real rock and hard place. Best of luck.

UAW
A look at how to register for Michigan’s medical-marijuana program, which begins accepting applications on Monday:
Related Content
• Michigan to start issuing IDs for medicinal pot users
DOCTOR’S RECOMMENDATION: Patients must have a physician licensed in the state of Michigan review their records and sign a form certifying that the patient would benefit from using marijuana. Minors must have certifications from two doctors.
FORMS: Application forms are available to download from the program’s Web site.
FEES: There is a registration fee of $100, or $25 if the patient is enrolled in Medicaid or receiving Supplemental Security Income. Registration must be renewed annually.
THE CARD: Within 20 days, a patient whose application is approved will be issued a card protecting them from arrest for growing, possessing or using marijuana or marijuana paraphernalia.
RESTRICTIONS: There are a number of restrictions on participating patients, including a limit of 12 mature plants and 2.5 ounces of usable marijuana per person.
THE MEDICINE: The Department of Community Health doesn’t provide marijuana or give any advice to patients on how to obtain it. Patients can designate a caretaker to grow or otherwise provide their marijuana.
WEB SITE: http://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132-27417_51869—,00.html
___
Source: Michigan Department of Community Health.

TRy the real stuff, it works. I believe the marinol pills only have one of the effective ingredients. I takes ALL of the effective ingredients to work. I am now over 15 ears cancerf free. I am not imppressed with the long term after effects of chemo.

I too bleleve in the real Stuff for nausea. Pills put me to sleep, never tried marinol but understand it doesn’t work. However the real stuff does!!Fortunately I never had to use it often. I am now over 15 years clear.
Never heard of the asparagus. Anything is worth a try. Not impressed with chemo.

Forgive my ignorance, but since I don’t subscribe to newspapers anymore, and my source of news and entertainment is M&H’s blogsite and the Daily Show, what’s happening in Iowa (is this Heaven?) to Hurray about?

for non-smokers there is always the possibility to use it in butter, than you can use it on plain bread or make cookies or use it in any other way you use normal butter (but no long baking process, only as short bread or similar, since long exposure to heat kills the active ingredients)

Be very carefull with dosage, start small, see how she reacts to it before any increase (half a cooky for starters, or first time only a 1/4) it will start to work after 30 – 120 min (depending on what when and how much food you had before, after a “big” meal you need a higher dosage, but GO SLOW at first, but you know!) and can work for 2 to 8 hours (depending on absorption and dosage.)

For people that think they got too much at any time, high dosages of sugar (candies, plain cookies, even cake) and Vitamine C (Fruitjuice) will bring them down VERY quickly (10 -30 min to take effect)

To make the butter:

take a small pot, bring water to boil, add sufficient amount of butter to cover the whole water surface with it, melt in the cooking water, add herbs (1/4 ounce minimum, better 1/2, this is for 1/4 to 1/2 pound of butter, go ounce to pound for dosage) and cook very slightly for 15 – 30 min.

than pour in clean cloth over big pot, so water passes through cloth and butter stays in cloth, wring out water, scrap out butter and use as above. (you will loose some in the cloth, the finer the cloth (thin cotton!! ) the less loss). but it is still better than to smoke for a non smoker.

UAW
I figured you for a state’s rights kind of fellow. There might be some information about the legality through interstate commerce online. If you are like me, you don’t know where to buy it, how much it costs, and you don’t want to support a drug cartel. You are in a spot, but I wonder if you can order it from California, I saw on the news awhile back, that it is available in lollypops, etc. That might be more acceptable for a person with nausea than the smell of smoke. Do keep her hydrated and replace the electrolytes she has lost though. Pedialyte is found in the baby food section of the grocery store, also in drugstores. It won’t stop the nausea per say, but it will rehydrate her.

thanks for all the support…we have frozen asparagus in the freezer….maybe I’ll have to break the law and get some real smoke….Marinol (synthetic THC) isn’t working….the medical marijuana law passed in MI. but it’s against the law federally….

And her something from MY wife. As a teacher of french literature on our college she always thinks people (lie me) unjuste that say french is too complicated, now she tries to proof us wroong, read and smile (you do need some french for this one, or, maybe not…..)

concerning you wife:
If she cannot take the concotion thought up by Honolulul Sally try it at room temp.
Cold might taste better but be harder on here already queezy stomach.

The asapargus might be worth a try, can’t hurt her and it is a part of a healthy diet and defenitly won’t do any harm.

I again promote medical use of marijuana, it battles nausea VERY efficiently and stimulates appetite.

If I read right about the aspargus you need to apply it over some time for it to do it’s work, so, once she can eat solids again, here are three ways of eating aspargus (and yes, all work perfectly fine with canned aspargus)
(Until she can have solids go with the liquivied)

1) Aspargus soup with smoked samlon bits:
take one pouch of Kraft or other blend aspargus soup, if POSSIBLE, exchange water for milk, if not use 1/4 milk to 3/4 water or use soy-milk half and half) make soup according to package, add one glas / can of asparguse (cut to bite size so you can spoon it) and take apporx 4 – 6 ounces of smoked salmon (also the cheaper kosher BBQ smoked or home smoked salmon or trout is nice) and shredd into soup, serve with crusty bread.

2) Aspargus Black Forest style (This is better with fresh Asaprgus, canned will do, but it is too soft, not enough “byte”, but might be better for her in the beginnging)
Get some extremly thin cut Prosciutto (air smoked pork loin is good too, the thinner the better) wrap cold but cooked Aspargus in prosciutto and serve with bread and butter. (goes best with beer for you)

3) Cordon Vert (like Cordon blue, just throw out the ham and replace with canned Aspargus)
Take veal or pork schnitzel (boneless cutletts, fat free) cut a pocket or cut in half without cutting all the way through.
Fill with a slice of favorite (but MILD tastuing) cheese and a layer of aspargus. turn in a) flower b) eggs and c) breadcrumbs, than fry slowly in butter until done. (depends on thickness, 3 – 6 min /side, try NOT to burn the breadcrumbs too much)
Serve with your favorite side dishes. (traditonal would be home fries or pommes frites or potato salad)

She also tried to appoint a man who was a Repugnant 2 weeks ago to a Democrat state senate seat. (She is legally obligated to put in a Dem.)
She also wants to appoint a lawyer with an anti-native past for attorney general.

She would do well on a soap! Anyone know of any Soap openings for sarah?

Another great blog. I enjoy reading Helen’s words of wisdom as well as many of the posters’ comments.
I would like to add to President Obamas’ list of what makes him a great leader:
I observe that President Obama is not a “yes” man and I expect that he does not want to surround himself with “yes” people. I believe he wants to hear all opinions and will listen to reasonable arguments from both sides. I am sure if any of his critics would just present him with a plan that would be better for the American people, President Obama would listen and support that plan if it indeed was better.
Personally I love what President Obama has done so far since he was elected and took the oath of office.

sacrebleu: more quebecoise then frenxh (we got more blue in our flag!) but OK to use.

Vite: excellent idea, on the way in and on the way out especially!

Ou est la guillotine: Completly ancient and outdated conecpet.
Has been replaced by the chinese hand-axt from Home/Hardware store!
In all but mfgr quality this is superior:
Much easier to obtain!
Cheaper to produce AND purchase.
No major transport problems. (Bring it to the victim rather than bring the victim to it)
No custom setup necessary.
And last but not least: Easy to conceal on your way out and by this RE-USABLE (Environmental bonus too!)
So, what I mean is, while ideas sustain (be-heading), concepts my change…..

ucommonsense inquires I think we also need a serious discussion on how we can make cable “news” more informative. They have in my opinion become increasingly more irresponsible. I feel this is a job for us, not the government, and that we could enlist a lot of allies to help us. Ideas anyone?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Yes I do have an idea and it is happen already with small success…. (you can look up the existing Boycotts).. Boycott the product that are advertised on the offensive broadcasts, and make sure and write a letter to the parent company telling them so… Vote with your wallet… It works..!

AUW, obviously your wife’s nausea contributes to dehydration and the loss of electrolytes which makes her queasiness even worse. In my own experience, not from chemo, Pedialyte was more acceptable to my palate than Gatorade, because it has a slight flavor compared to the latter’s strong flavor. I particularly liked the grape flavor. Is medical marijuana legal in your state? A friend of mine avoided chemo side effects completely, even maintained her weight, by using it. Best wishes to you and your wife.

Helen, I enjoyed your retrospect of the Bush administration, while it is important that we optimistically move forward, we must still remain vigilant to the same old tomfoolery the majority of elected Republicans champion, like tax breaks for the wealthy. Yeh, that is the answer to all our economic problems, not. In that spirit, the moment I hear who Eric Cantor’s opponent is in 2010 I’ll be writing a check. I think we also need a serious discussion on how we can make cable “news” more informative. They have in my opinion become increasingly more irresponsible. I feel this is a job for us, not the government, and that we could enlist a lot of allies to help us. Ideas anyone?

As usually I loved the thread Helen. Bush actually made me physically ill when I would listen to him (or try to) … We have to stay vigilant and never let it happen again.

The whole hypocrisy thing is lost on many right wingers I have had conversations with. It really hit home with me when a wing-nut accused ME of being hypocritical when I LOL the fact that SP’s policy on abstinence didn’t seem to be working too well in her own backyard. ( You see I am a firm believer the government should stay out of my womb, bedroom, happy meal, and anything else they decide to nib nose into. ) When I pointed out I could not care less about Sarah’s daughter’s bedroom habits it was the fact that SP didn’t stand for sexual education in high school health classes….. It went right over their heads….

It does make one’s head pop off their shoulders if you give the wing nuts too much thought….

UAW, not sure if your wife is allowed dairy right now (with some cancer drugs it’s a contraindicated food)
But here’s a protein packed smoothie she can sip on all day if need be – and change per the fruit
(I use the ice crusher setting on my blender – takes a while but the result is good and thick)

1.5 cups of juice (cranberry, orange, mixed blend, whatever suits her taste)
1 ripe banana (if you peel the banana, wrap tightly in saran wrap and then freeze, the frozen banana helps make the smoothie thicker)
1/2 cup frozen fruit (Peaches, blueberries, mixed berries, mango – whatever as long as its flash frozen without sugar)
Blend until smooth. Add in 8oz plain organic or greek yogurt (you can add in more if wanted), and you can add in some additional protein powder too. Just make sure the protein powder doesn’t have tons of sugar because that feeds the cancer.)
I drink this twice a day now – and can be frozen and then thawed slowly over the day in order to have her sip on something and spark the appetite without upsetting the tummy. I’ve also included aloe vera juice sometimes (George’s 100% since it has no after taste) to benefit the intestinal tract health.

Not to mention the jaw dropping hypocrisy of these folks who, for the last 8 years, have said out loud and often that to be critical of the president was anti-american and treasonous. Makes the head want to explode.

Oh, my, I just found Helen’s latest post and I’m so very happy. This is the only blog where I feel comfortable enough (anonymous enough ??) to make a comment or two, so here goes.

I am so extraordinarily proud of my President, and so equally proud of my First Lady. What an outstanding couple they are, and what a fine example of grace, wisdom and intelligence they’ve both shown during this G-20 summit. I expected nothing less, for that, I believe, is the way they are …. naturally.

My chest swelled with pride as I watched and listened to Mr. Obama at the London press conference Thursday afternoon. I thought he was superb.

Tears welled in my eyes as I saw the footage of Mrs. Obama’s meeting at the all-girls Elizabeth Garret Anderson Language School in London. She was warmly received and returned the warmth with equal fervor. One could hear her voice crack as she said to the students “….you touch my heart”. You knew — you just knew she meant every word.

I’m sort of stumped. I can’t quite seem to find the right words to express how proud I am to be an American — now — for lo those 8 painfully long years just passed, I felt so “un-proud”. How DID this country make such a horrific mistake — twice???

God help us if we ever make that same mistake again.

God bless and keep safe this extraordinarily intelligent and pragmatic President and his beautiful family.

Hey UAW, someone sent this to me a while ago – cooked asparagus for cancer. At least it can’t harm anyone…

Subject: Asparagus and Cancer – worth a read…

Dear Friends and Family,

After reading this article over a month ago, I (Sue Tate) could not
remember where it was. So I asked my sister to send it to me again. I
am asking you to read it to the end. My Mom had been taking the
full-stalk canned style asparagus that she pureed and she
took 4 tablespoons in the morning and 4 tablespoons later in the
day. She did this for over a month.. She is on chemo pills for Stage 3
lung cancer in the pleural area and her cancer cell count went
from 386 down to 125 as of this past week. Her oncologist said she
does not need to see him for 3 months.

THE ARTICLE:
Several years ago, I had a man seeking asparagus for a friend
who had cancer. He gave me a photocopied copy of an article,entitled,
`Asparagus for cancer’ printed in Cancer NewsJournal,
December 1979.

I will share it here, just as it was shared with me:’I am a
biochemist,and have specialized in the relation of diet to
health for over 50 years..Several years ago, I learned of the discovery
of Richard R. Vensal, D.D.S. that asparagus might cure cancer.

Since then, I have worked with him on his project. We have
accumulated a number of favorable case histories.
Here are a few examples:

Case No. 1, A man with an almost hopeless case of Hodgkin’s
disease (cancer of the lymph glands) who was completely
incapacitated. Within 1 year of starting the asparagus therapy, his
doctors
were
unable to detect any signs of cancer, and he was back on a schedule of
strenuous exercise.

Case No. 2, a successful businessman 68 years old who suffered from
cancer of the bladder for 16 years. After years of medical treatments,
including radiation without improvement, he went on asparagus. Within
3 months, examinations revealed that his bladder tumor had
disappeared and that his kidneys were normal.

Case No. 3, a man who had lung cancer. On March 5th 1971, he
was put on the operating table where they found lung cancer so widely
spread that it was inoperable. The surgeon sewed him up and declared
his case hopeless. On April 5th he heard about the asparagus therapy
and immediately started taking it.By August, x-ray pictures revealed
that
all signs of the cancer had disappeared.. He is back at his regular
business routine.

Case No. 4, a woman who was troubled for a number of years
with skin cancer. She finally developed different skin cancers which
were diagnosed by asking specialist as advanced.. Within 3 months
after starting on asparagus, her skin specialist said that her skin
looked fine and no more skin lesions. This woman reported that the
asparagus therapy also cure her kidney disease, which started in 1949.
She had over 10 operations for kidney stones, and was receiving
government disability payments for an inoperable, terminal, kidney
condition. She attributes the cure of this kidney trouble entirely to
the
asparagus.

I was not surprised at this result, as `The elements of materia
medica’, edited in 1854 by a Professor at the University of
Pennsylvania, stated that asparagus was used as a popular
remedy for kidney stones. He even referred to experiments, in 1739, on
the power of asparagus in dissolving stones.

We would have other case histories but the medical
establishment has interfered with our obtaining some of the records. I
am
therefore appealing to readers to spread this good news and help us to
gather a large number of case histories that will overwhelm the medical
skeptics about this unbelievably simple and natural remedy.

For the treatment,
asparagus should be cooked before using, and therefore canned
asparagus is just as good as fresh.
I have corresponded with the two leading canners of
asparagus, Giant and Stokely, and I am satisfied that these brands con-
tain no pesticides or preservatives.

Place the cooked asparagus in a blender and liquefy to make a
puree, and store in the refrigerator. Give the patient 4 full
tablespoons twice daily, morning and evening.

Patients usually show some improvement in from 2-4 weeks.
It can be diluted with water and used as a cold or hot drink. This
suggested dosage is based on present experience, but certainly larger
amounts can do no harm and may be needed in some cases.

As a biochemist I am convinced of the old saying that `what
cures can prevent’. Based on this theory, my wife and I have been usi ng
asparagus puree as a beverage with our meals.

We take 2 tablespoons diluted in water to suit our taste with
breakfast and with dinner. I take mine hot and my wife
prefers hers cold. For years we have made it a practice to have blood
surveys taken as part of our regular checkups.

The last blood survey, taken by a medical doctor who
specializes in the nutritional approach to health, showed substantial
improvements in all categories over the last one, and we can attribute
these
improvements to nothing but the asparagus drink…

As a biochemist, I have made an extensive study of all
aspects of cancer, and all of the proposed cures. As a result, I am
convinced that asparagus fits in better with the latest theories about
cancer.Asparagus contains a good supply of protein called
histones,which are believed to be active in controlling cell
growth. For that reason, I believe asparagus can be said to contain a
substance that I call cell growth normalizer. That accounts
for its action on cancer and in acting as a general body tonic.

In any event, regardless of theory, asparagus used as we
suggest, is a harmless substance. The FDA cannot prevent you from
using it and it may do you much good..
It has been reported by the US National Cancer Institute, that
asparagus is the highest tested food containing glutathione,
which is considered one of the body’s most potent anticarcinogens and
antioxidants.

Hello Mathew, Margaret & Helen!
I’m not quite 80+ yet, but working on it. This is my first experience posting a comment on a blog where I didn’t personally know the blogger. Big move for me, but not as big as the sacrifice Helen made reading Ann Coulter. The abridged recaps were delightful, unlike the pain that comes with reading Ann in the original.

I started one of her books some years ago when I found a copy of her second book at my sister’s house. I couldn’t get past the first chapter. More importantly, don’t expect her footnotes to even be related to the accusations she makes. They are either not on topic, or completely bogus. My career was in research and we nerds think footnotes are to be read and should relate somehow to the text. Apparently Ann never heard that rule.

A friend of mine in Maine sent me the link to your blog, thankfully before the election. Whenever I had angst over the thought that McLame and his Alaska bimbo might get elected, I would race to your website for reassurance of sanity.

Keep up the good work ladies, you make a lot of people very happy. Hugs to everyone on this wonderful blog.

thanks for asking…
my wife has had two chomo treatments but she was always nauseous……went a week without eating….got a litter of “juice” both Tues and Wed(for dehydration)….she’s feeling better …got a little ice cream and half a burger in her today…I’d rather be inside of a 2000 ton Verson press crown or on top of a 1800 degree Holcroft furnace than what I’m doing now….

As you have been doing from the git-go, you have served up more generous servings of pie for your invited guests and some of the party crashers.

Here’s something I have been thinking about for some time. Both the President and the First Lady went a long way toward mending fences at the G-20. I applaud Obama for tackling some of our biggest problems and he seems to be making progress. However, like the rest of us, I worry about the huge amounts of debt incurred to do it. Perhaps this is ONE way of chipping away at the debt.

Every since World War II, (for all I know, World War I also) the US has maintained military bases around the world manned with I don’t know how many people and how much equipment at the ready for any eventuality. OK, I’m all for friendships and mutual assistance alliances with other countries, but I think it is time we said, “Look folks, the US is broke. We can’t afford the luxury of all this. We are happy to do our fair share but no longer the lion’s share.” Then proceed to close many of those bases and cut the personnel by half. We can continue to provide humanitarian aid whenever and wherever it arises.

It is not as if we need land bases all over when we have the capability of being just about anywhere in the world within a matter of hours by air and then bringing in equipment by sea in days, or at most weeks. Don’t we have a big brand new, beautiful naval vessel named in honor of G.H.W. Bush? It is sitting around doing nothing anyway as far as I know.

This idea goes for ‘Foreign Aid’ too. I think the US has become something of a patsy with Uncle Sugar ‘ponyin’-up’ gazillions of dollars to buy influence and ‘friendship’. Something like a couple on Social Security continuing to buy a couple of cases of beer evry week for their 50-year-old son.

Case in point. President Karzai of Afghanistan was of course the previous administration’s hand picked leader in that country. Since then we have been pourin the blood of our young soldiers and money into propping him up while he and his corrupt cronies are holed up in Kabul, lining their pockets with US dollars. Very little of it ‘trickles down’ to the ordinary people or improves the conditions of their country. Sound familiar?

Now Karzai wants to kiss and make up with the Taliban. Sheesh!!! What a can of worms. Well, more on that later maybe. For now, back to our easy comfort zone of Bush-Rush-Coulter-and Republican bashing.

UAW:
WTC is this crap you’re spewing now?
“the gas price was Bush’s fault…it went from $1.99 to $2.56 in the first 6 years and when the Dems took over it went from $2.56 to over $4.10 in less than two…
YEP…the ol-double-standard strikes again”
EVERYONE was riding that damn wave of overreaching and gas guzzling. It was made easier with the deregulation of the oil industry – somewhere along the way we as a society decided that the american dream was about McMansions and earthshaking SUVs that you needed a ladder to get into. . . has nothing to do with Dems vs. Repubs but with consumerism as a patriotic and social value. Geez. Find a new whine.

In the meantime, how’s your wife? And are you taking care of yourself too????? hmmmmm???? (yeah I know I’m nagging, but that’s cuz you’re such a cute lil cuss)

Someone earlier wanted to know how we let Bush happen not just once but twice. Consider this woman: Locked in her car in the hot Florida sun, she calls 911 for help. The car is baking, she’s not feeling well because of the rising heat/humidity in her locked car. And the 911 op asks: Can you pull up the little button on the door? And the woman replies: Yes. And the 911 op asks: is the door open now? And the woman says: “Oh yes, thank you.”
As Bill Engval would say “here’s your sign” and that, kiddos, is how this great nation elected an Idiot in Chief.

erica….
“I LOVE that Obama answered the reporter who asked why he took so long (two days) with, “because I like to know what I’m talking about”. Whoa – what a concept”
if the two days was for reading the stimulus bill before he signed it wouldn’t it have been nice for the congress to read it before voting on it also…they had hours not days

Nice post Helen! I’d rather pay more taxes for education, roads, bridges, even sensible defense etc, than having my taxes used for uneeded wars. Therefore, I do not agree with a President who would choose war as the first alternative. If I were asked on my tax return to choose what I would like my taxes to go toward, those would be my choices. I wish we were given that opportunity.

Dear all–I had a truly scary time of it this afternoon. Went to Politico and read the comments. Man, oh man–the most blatant racism and nastiness and insults. There’s some woman who bills herself as Patscholar (or something like that) who flat out wished physical harm to not only the President but to those who don’t share here beliefs. I was sickened by it.

Now, we occasionally get a troll here but NOTHING like that. And it showed how really benign UAW is, even at his most curmudgeony.

Oh UAW… sigh… so much sputtering in that post. Just for starters, the difference between Limbaugh’s drug ADDICTION and Obama’s college age partying (besides THAT obvious difference) is that Limbaugh is on record advocating no tolerance policies for users. In his own words:

“There’s nothing good about drug use. We know it. It destroys individuals. It destroys families. Drug use destroys societies. Drug use, some might say, is destroying this country. And we have laws against selling drugs, pushing drugs, using drugs, importing drugs. And the laws are good because we know what happens to people in societies and neighborhoods which become consumed by them. And so if people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to be convicted and they ought to be sent up,” Mr. Limbaugh declared on his radio show on October 5th, 1995

And yes, he does have an apartment in Manhattan.

As for the rest of it… same old tired equivalency arguments; that every Republican idiocy is offset by an equal and opposite idiocy from the left. Are the Dems perfect? Hell no. Nobody here ever said they are, but trying to compare tit for tat gets you nowhere with this group. Stacked up side by side it’d be more like tit tit tit tit tit tit tit tit tit tit tit tit tit tit tit for tat.

But you do like to stir the turd and because we actually like you you get to be the official lovable curmudgeon here.

LRA…your doing the double standard thing again…
Rush “Druggie” Limbaugh but nothing about Obama doing a little weed,a few lines and the worst….he smoked cigarettes….
“he needs to move out of NEW YORK CITY”…he doesn’t live in NEW YORK…he lives in FLORIDA….
“to a bunch of poor, white, low class, ignorant, Christian right, abstinence-only-despite-high-rates-of-teenage-pregnancy, “intelligent” stupid design believing, Southerners who listen to him faithfully?”….your not Racist are you???? it’s nice to know that if you want to become a DEM you have to get at least a bachelors, score 1922 or better on your SAT, and shun all religion…..with those requirements I’ll never make it…..
and that’s just about Rush…
I never said Bush was a great speaker but did you hear Obama on Leno’s show…”SPECIAL OLYMPIC BOWLING”…. how about when Biden told the guy in the wheelchair to stand up…why…did he LAY HANDS on him…..
as for the UNHRC you seem to forget that not being on the board was a protest…

and the people complaining about the Reps not being bipartisan and moving to the left how much did the left move right….you seem to have forgotten about the gridlock before Nancy or Harry took over…remember the Reps threatening to use the nuclear option and yes the Medicare Drug Plan was actually Ted Kennedy’s bill
and the gas price was Bush’s fault…it went from $1.99 to $2.56 in the first 6 years and when the Dems took over it went from $2.56 to over $4.10 in less than two…
YEP…the ol-double-standard strikes again

Just finished watching Obama’s press conference following the G-20 meeting in England.

James, I am pretty sure he didn’t have those teleprompters that his critics keep using as their offense against him. Of course he wasn’t as smooth as he is with his rehearsed and teleprompted speeches, and he sneezed a few times, stammered a few times, gathered his thoughts with “uhs” and pauses, but he came off with intelligent, thought out answers that made sense.

My favorite answer he made was to a question from an American journalist, asking if he perceived any difference in the G20 meeting with the leaders of the other countries and their feelings regarding Bush vs their reception of Obama.

He diplomatically stated that he could not answer about the former meetings because he was not a participant at those meetings. He then went on to say that he came to listen and work together with the other countries. His job as the President of the United States of America is to foremost look after the interests of his country but not to dictate or ignore the interests of other countries in our present global society.

He was funny, charming, and fair. It was a homerun hit of a press conference, and I felt so proud to have a man such as Obama as the leader of my country.

Bush was and is an idiot. The rest of the world realized it. I think even Bush realized it and probably feels the greatest sense of relief of not holding the reins of power anymore. I’d even bet that he doesn’t read the news or follow politics anymore. His greatest asset is his wife who deserves a medal of honor for being his support line.

Ever since January 20, 2009, I wake up each day feeling optimistic. This is in major contrast to the depression like feeling I had during GW Bush’s dreadful, embarrassing, seemingly evil 8 years of office.

“Miserable Failure” is GW Bush’s legacy. Especially in his case, thank God for presidential term limits. Too bad the rest of the “Wreck and Havoc” pundits are still around. For them, GW Bush’s dumbing down of America by example as well as his education policies have ensured a generation of followers and fans. And manipulators like Rupert Murdoch with his Fox affiliates will continue to profit and control the minds and hearts of the ones most in need of a better way of life.

Didn’t we have a more ethically minded media? What allowed the Rushes and Gretas and Hannitys their unrestricted lack of decency and fall from journalistic standards?

True, we have our Keith Olbermann. And he is joined with Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, David Letterman, etal. I must say though, I watch these guys for entertainment. They make me laugh, on purpose. They have funny bones.

Do the right wingers have any pundits with funny bones? Maybe that is what they need. The ability to laugh and have joy instead of fear in their dumbed down hearts.

Whirled – that was one of my all time favorite Onion articles. I remember reading it when it first came out and thinking, haha, this is funny but as bad as this dude is bound to be, this is over the top. I re-read it about midway through Bush’s eight year reign of error and couldn’t believe all the things in it that actually had come to pass. It’s almost like GWB used satire as the blueprint for his presidency. So far the only thing he’s done right is leave office with some semblance of class.

Speaking only for myself, my wife and I are nothing special, but we are already at work. My wife and I give to the poor as we always do, we try what we can for the environment and we are part of a pilot research program studying bird habitat. I don’t collect Social Security, nor does Medicare pay my few medical bills, and I am not getting care at a VA hospital as I could be. We recycle, and we conserve energy. When something breaks, we fix it if we can. We also spend money once in a while, because the economy needs it. We raise some of our own food. Lots of our neighbors do the same.

I try to keep informed, I write letters to the editor, and I write to my representatives. I also keep track of local politics, and eventually plan to participate in a tea party. I don’t like some of the things which are and will happen to this country, but getting mad about things you can’t change is a waste of time. I have a low regard for both Democrats and Republicans. They are the same actors with different scripts. Anger and bitterness come from both sides.

We are leaving for Rochester, Minn in a few hours to settle an estate. It will be a race against doing what needs to be done and a potential blizzard which we must beat home by Saturday night. I don’t know which will be more fun, the blizzard or my wife and her two sisters. Two don’t speak except through her. Like anything in life, it will be another adventure, even if I am the only one who finds some fun in it.

welcome in the global villages porch (I hope that’s OK with you Helen?)

your comment…..I really don’t like the tone of the conservatives who drop in rarely. They are so bitter, I wonder if they feel guilty about their choice!……

That weould be the day we can start and get some real work done!!

But even without guilt, anyone comming over the the “puple” side of things (for non Americans this is a mix of “red” (Democrats_ and bluie (Reps)) will help us all to get out of the mess.

So to all Reps here, forget the guilt, who cares, but try to do something you su[pposed to be so good at: roll up you shirtsleeves and LET’S GE THE JOB DONE!
You don’t like gouvernment meddle in your live, well, then do the job yourself and they can concentrate on other things no one seams to want to do……

I didn’t see anything wrong the our gift to the Queen. It was better than what we gave to the Prime minister.

You ask how we got Bush. The Democrats gave us Bush. Al Gore and John Kerry were no mental giants themselves, and they ran bad campaigns. Days after 9/11, a liberal columnist wrote that she and her friends felt secret relief that Bush, not Gore was president. She and her friends likely changed their minds later, but it illustrated the lack of confidence Gore instilled during an emergency.

Democrats ought to remember Republicans on Christmas because with their mistakes, Republicans handed the White House and Congress to them. They deserved to lose Congress. Hillary’s mismanaged campaign and McCain’s occasional incoherence, combined with the press’s infatuation with Obama sealed the deal for the president. While Obama exuded cool during the first stages of the economic melt down, McCain resembled an old man ordering neighborhood kids off his lawn.

Obama has made some mistakes as one would expect from someone so inexperienced, but he is smart and has a plan. So far, he has followed much of Bush’s economic policy of bail outs and his strategy to fight the war. He is keeping troops in Iraq, and he has approved what amounts to a surge in Afghanistan. Some on the left are muttering that this is not what Obama promised, but careful reading of his pre- election statements and later appointments tell us otherwise.

None of us can predict if the Democrats will make things worse or better. They certainly will get most of the blame or praise because to a greater degree in years, they now “own” our foreign and economic policy.

Matthew–llsabed’s comment is racist. While I agree with the notion that varying points of view should be welcome, my personal belief is that a blog which is premised on inclusion and making the world a better place should not tolerate racism. I am resisting the temptation to respond to the poster of such drivel but respectfully ask that, as the moderator of this wonderful blog, you remove it. We all are diminished if we tolerate racial hatred and bigotry.

I think my favorite political gift ever given by a head of state was actually from Maggie Thatcher to I believe it was President Chirac. One of those summits took place during the anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille. . .and almost every event carried the revolution theme. . . and Chirac was going on and on about how France had brought freedom to the world (and in a way, he was correct in that) As Maggie Thatcher departed the summit, she handed Chirac a rare copy of “A Tale of Two Cities”. . . .My understanding is that Chirac was none too happy but that the French people likewise snickered along with Maggie. . . they know their history and can see the humanity beyond the political hype.

I rather like the fact that the gift to the Queen was personalized without being personal. I can just imagine her out there on the moors with her dogs, all wired up listening to show tunes as she grapples with yet another stupid act by Harry.

Namaskar to everyone from India. M & H – I am a regular reader, and you spread joy even this far. Thank you very much!
As a third party (not in anyway affected) to the liberal-conservative debate, I really don’t like the tone of the conservatives who drop in rarely. They are so bitter, I wonder if they feel guilty about their choice!

LRA, I totally agree with you post and thank you for sharing my opinion. Maybe I am not crazy.

Also, concerning the IPOD, it was loaded with show tunes that the Queen loves to listen to. I wonder if you can play the music and view the pictures and they tell a story. I think it was a nice gift and the book was awesome since she loves show tunes.

In regard to the Queen’s gift, it is a gift that you can only receive when you are her guest so you have to be pretty special to get one of those. Maybe the Obama’s will be allowed to keep that gift. Most gifts go into our archives and the President’s family are not allowed to keep them. There was a special on TV one night and you should see some of those gifts. Tusks from an elephant, rare pieces of art, etc., etc.

I saw one clip where the Queen was all wired up with her IPOD and it was wonderful.

I didn’t watch political TV when GWB was in office, does anyone know what he gave the Queen when she came here. Maybe a book about the period of 1776???

I enjoyed all the posts, it is nice to hear from like thinking people.

I can’t stop laughing at the righties’ disbelief at a President who actually works at the job. A 12 hour day today at meetings and functions, not counting travel time, and he doesn’t break a sweat. I can’t find if Bush had taken a vacation already by April 2001, but by 9-11 he had already been on vacation 42% of his term.

The gifts are ceremonial and don’t necessarily have to be expensive. I’m not sure what the meaning is behind the music (which was loaded onto the I-Pod), but I thought the autographed Richard Rodgers music book was very nice and did, in fact, involve one of Lizzie’s interests, so it showed some thought. Should he, instead, have given an autographed picture of him and his wife? Imagine the reaction. But that’s what he got back in return, and nobody’s talking about being offended.

The contrast between Obama and Bush is wonderful. Bush is not only an idiot, but a heartless, arrogant, sociopathic bastard, to boot. Cheney, since the day his heart problems first presented, seems largely dedicated to taking us all with him – I think he’s nuts.

My stepson and his wife don’t believe government can do anything right. Since before they were born, it’s been run by people who didn’t want it to. They haven’t been taught any history that would tell them otherwise. He works for a big private health care company, so you can imagine the messages he gets there. They think my husband and I are starry-eyed hippie lunatics – sweet, but kinda foolish. They did vote for Obama, but could be easily convinced to switch back.

We have to prove that government can work the way it’s supposed to. That’s going to take more than just one man. In fact, it’s supposed to take 3 equal branches of government, plus an involved and informed populace. That means all of us.

Could someone please explain to me why Rush “Druggie” Limbaugh is bitching about the fact that taxes for upper, upper middle class and rich people are about to go up 30% to the point that he needs to move out of NEW YORK CITY (aka NOT his constituency– but the most EXPENSIVE city in America) to a bunch of poor, white, low class, ignorant, Christian right, abstinence-only-despite-high-rates-of-teenage-pregnancy, “intelligent” stupid design believing, Southerners who listen to him faithfully?

(BTW I’m a Texan, so this is not pointed at just any Southerner).

SERIOUSLY? Could someone explain this to me– cause I don’t get it at all!

Little Bird, it is way easier to manipulate the ignorant. So the far right promotes ignorance. Look at how many of their platform positions reflect rejection of science, reason, rational thinking, ambiguity–in short, the stuff of intellect rather than emotion. If you want to control the masses, dumb ’em down (destroy public education) and make them fearful in their ignorance. Notice that you can lie to the masses and they won’t know the difference. Then you can rule and grow wealthy beyond measure due to your absolute power. Of course it drives them crazy; we’re not as stupid as they would like us to be. Yet. Be on guard and watch your back. Keep an eye on that election in NY.

Carolyn – (avoidingstasis) — deepest sympathy to you. If you are the Carolyn from Wallowa Co., you’ve been in our prayers every day! If not – you will be now.

Newbie: This comment of yours bears repeating:
“But if my roof was leaking and I couldn’t feed my family, I guess I’d use a credit card fast enough. That’s how I feel about the debt now. We need infrastructure and schools and emergency services. I don’t mind running a high tab for those things. As for passing on debt to the next generation, well it was the next generation that paid for WWII, wasn’t it? So that’s not unprecedented. The main difference between now and then is that the next generation will be paying for our decade-long screw ups. Well, somebody has to pay for it, don’t they? At least there’s a chance that we’ll be leaving them safe roads and bridges, too.”

That’s really a very sensible way to look at things. We’re in the hole now, and Pres. Obama is doing his level best to help us dig out, and we all need to be sensible and realistic.

Guano-tanamo — love that! Somebody ahead of me posted that suggestion and it’s perfect for that “turd-blossom” Rove (as Dubya so cleverly called him) and that evil Darth Vader Cheney. That man is running a subterranean government in exile in McLean, VA — he has moles in government offices. He should be arrested for TREASON!

Today I was cleaning, organizing, and working in my classroom during spring break. I decided to take down the photos of Obama off of my classroom door window. (Just to be fair–I did have McCain’s photo on the window, as well, until November 4).
Here’s the thing–I love working in my room when it’s quiet, nobody around, and I can reflect on a lot of things. So…….I decided to keep one photo of Obama on a small bulletin board in front of my desk……hmmmm…..which one?…….
I decided on a black and white photo of him during his college years holding a book with a book case in the background. Excellent choice!
It made me think about how gifted a man he really is! Dedicated, balanced, smart, affable, good-natured, well-spoken, and I could go on.
He is making us all proud on his first trip abroad.

Now………if I had to find a college photo of GWB, I wonder what I’d find. Would I even dare display it in my classroom? Is there even a photo of him holding a book?

I’m about to start teaching a writing unit focused on presidential biographies. Which student will get GWB? I can’t wait to read the final analysis at the end of a 5th grader’s biography report.

I think that we can agree that Obama is not mean-spirited. And Cheney, though he clearly had more intellect than Bush, always struck me as crafty, not exactly smart. That might be splitting hairs though.
Obama strikes me as Smart. Smart enough to know right from wrong. Obama succeeding can only help the country as a whole.

Little Bird: How can it be bad? It can be bad if you are someone like Cheney, who knew he could manipulate a stupid man to do pretty much anything. It can be bad if you are a mean-spirited person who resents someone who is accomplished, well-spoken and intelligent. It can be bad if you are afraid of anyone who looks different than you do and doesn’t validate you.

If you want the best for the country and other people and are open and receptive to others, it’s a wonderful thing.

Bush was indeed an idiot. Dumber than a box of hair. I had the worst time dealing with that because it is my opinion that the President of my country should be smarter than I am. Not craftier, smarter.
I love that Obama is smart, well-spoken and well-mannered. It drives me up the wall that the far right thinks this is a bad thing. How could it be bad? HOW??

Ann Strongheart commenting at http://www.mudflats.net (note:even though Ann’s addressing the recent dustup caused by Doogan, her words resonate with Helen’s post):
” It sickens me when people, especially elected government officials, think that they can just stomp all over a private citizen’s rights. There are so many of us, past and present, that have pledged years of our lives to serve this country by joining various branches of the military. We left our friends and families to serve and protect, only to come home and watch politicians piss those rights away. How many thousands and thousands of Americans have paid the “ultimate price” to protect our country and its rights, just to watch backwards, hateful, hypocritical politicians stomp all over those rights we fight/fought so hard to protect? It’s very sad. I seriously think that our elected officials need a lesson on exactly what they are supposed to be representing. You know, things like… hmm… maybe the Bill of Rights, the US Constitution, the Declaration of Independence …didn’t we all learn about those in school??

With that I leave you with one of my favorite lines in the Declaration of Independence:

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Which to me translated basically says: When we the people know that something is wrong and we have the ability to change it, we then have the RESPONSIBILITY to challenge our governments and insist change to protect our future and our children’s futures.”

Oh – and for an update on the rural villages in Alaska, Ann’s post can be viewed at mudflats. Please know that between the communities of mudflats and Margaret/Helen’s, we have shown that helping each other is the strongest thread that binds us as Americans. And that one small voice, when combined with other voices, can move mountains.

Uh, no. If the terrorists kill us (I presume you mean “us” as in all Americans) we won’t be sorry. We’ll be dead, therefore, emotions will not be valid. However, your stupidity will continue to live on.

Head on over, you are typical of your breed. Repeat a statement loud and long enough and it becomes truth…..at least for you.

However, the vast majority of us have awakened recently from a long nightmare. Today we breathe the new air of freedom and purpose, and we are working hard to put things right once again.

I often pray that we never forget just how deep into complicit acceptance too many of us got, to allow Bush and his cronies to do damage to our country to the extent they have. I plan to make a total nuisance of myself reminding everybody I know about what happened!

I would add one more inmate to the Guano Prison. Michelle Bachmann….”Come On Down” The woman is certifiable!!

And finally, guano is actually BAT droppings!! and we know that the Neos are mostly Bat Chit crazy!!

I doubt if any of us here have easy answers for what you are going through except that most of us have experienced grief with the death of a loved one. Just know that you have friends here who care about you and have broad shoulders. We will try to do what we can.

In a burst of wonderfulness, Limbaugh has said that Gordon Brown was slobbering so much over the POTUS that he was going to ge “anal poisoning and die.” AND people don’t give a rip about that but are complaining that the President gave Queen Elizabeth an i-Pod (and a rare book of Richard Rogers songs).

Now, let’s see…which is worse for the image of our country? Limbaugh’s scatological nastiness or the gift that our President gave to the Queen? I certainly have no problem with that decision (although I think the i-Pod was a very cool gift). But there sure seem to be a number of fine folks who think Rush is just dandy but purport to be deeply offended at our President’s “lack of protocol.”

Not only did Bush do it twice but he did it illegally both times. And not only have the Republicans not accepted defeat they are honestly thinking of running Sarah Palin for President in 2012. They believe the party faithful would vote for nobody else.

Now that has me really upset. Only close runner up is Newt. Can you just see a Sarah and Newt ticket? well maybe this will mean the end of the Republican party as we know and loathe it.

I am so proud of President Obama on this his first trip representing out country overseas. And after eight years of cringing every time GW supported his drunken self on one edge of the podium I am glorying in every word Obama says. Boy, he has class.

PS the only way Georgie got in Yale was Dad was an alum and endowed the college with a lot of money. I would not term him a Yale Scholar

Bush wasn’t the brightest bulb, but his worst trait was letting Cheney & Co. run the country. It’s a sad irony that his finest moment has been the grace with which he left office. Once out from under the influence, he stood up to Cheney and has even made respectful statements regarding Obama. Maybe he wasn’t so much stupid as he was very weak.

I remain amazed at all the things Obama is trying to do, and in a short space of time. No resting on his laurels for this president! He won’t get all of it, and a lot of it won’t be right. But, by God, he’s moving forward, forward, forward.

And these people screaming about the National debt were awfully quiet for eight years, weren’t they? I’m debt-phobic. I don’t believe in paying later for luxuries I can’t afford now. But if my roof was leaking and I couldn’t feed my family, I guess I’d use a credit card fast enough. That’s how I feel about the debt now. We need infrastructure and schools and emergency services. I don’t mind running a high tab for those things. As for passing on debt to the next generation, well it was the next generation that paid for WWII, wasn’t it? So that’s not unprecedented. The main difference between now and then is that the next generation will be paying for our decade-long screw ups. Well, somebody has to pay for it, don’t they? At least there’s a chance that we’ll be leaving them safe roads and bridges, too.

Had an intense 3 day workshop, met people from different States. One was from Texas, and on a break we sat around talking. He was bad mouthing Obama and then he started bashing Bush. He was blasting the inevitable increase in taxes and the government, then head-in-assedly said we would be better off without any kind of government.

To which, (I am thankful for this blogsite, its comments, and Jon Stewart’s Daily Show) I replied that we live in the greatest country in the world, and we need the government to build and maintain our highways, schools, defense, postal service, etc. And that our taxes are our dues to pay – the price for having the privilege of those services, and I’ll gladly pay them at 39% because I still will have 61%.

He then more head-in-assedly said that there was no difference between Bush and Obama. There was a stunned silence for a while, and then I quietly (ha ha) said that one major difference is their level of intelligence. He shook his head and said no, no, Obama is no smarter than Bush.

At that point, we all felt like we were in the Twilight Zone, and we looked at this poor delusional Texan the way you would look at an idiot wearing his underwear on his head and decided it wasn’t worth a response. He had our collected and silent sympathy.

God bless Obama, and God bless the USA. And I hope He especially puts a light bulb in the minds of those close minded lemmings of Rush, Ann, and Fox News.

O’Bama is all about trying to sooth the fear, and get us up and running again. Like getting off the horse that bucked.

Sure, it can be a scary world, but if we live in fear then the bad guys win.

Don’t be so afraid and things will seem a little easier to over-come.

If you go back and re-read any of the posts about what Bush or Coulter or Rush say about the Purple People you will see that it is about making the people that listen afraid, so afraid that they will not want to think for themselves. The scary thing to me is that it worked for 8 years!

Guess what? I went out and played yesterday at a park near an airport. I didn’t get bombed by terrorists. My son was not kid=napped or molested. My sandwich did not poison me, and I did not melt in the sun. In fact, today I feel all the more ready to get to work because of yesterday.

Of course Rush and Co. hate the idea of a nation united behind its leader, they need the division to keep their base–be it to prop up their ratings or ensure their re-election their strategy is divide and conquer. It’s worked for many years and now that people are rejecting that bitterness, they’re terrified and pounding the desks and calling Obama names and trying to scare people back to the fold.

Honestly folks, it really is time to start paying attention again. We elected Obama and that was a very good thing, but I am only now just fully realizing how bad it had gotten in this country. Roll up your sleeves because President Obama is going to need all the help he can get.

Really!! put this to music and let it become the anthem of the next 8 years.

Great post, Helen. It is truly amazing that things just keep coming out to tell us just what an awful president we had for eight years, and I still keep wondering how it happened. Then I remember, it didn’t. He stole that election in 2000.

During the election, hubby said that it almost seemed that it all did happen for a reason. IF we hadn’t had Bush for eight years, would we have been as ready for Obama as we were? Obama clearly has the vision that is needed for our times; he has the patience and the toughness that we need in a president. And if we, as the voting public, hadn’t been so ready and willing for a change we might have settled for less. Who knows?

During the last Bush years, I got to the point that I couldn’t listen to him say anything. So I think I actually did miss a lot of what was going on – which is why I find it so shocking now.

But whenever I listen to President Obama, whether he’s signing a bill or just answering a question, I always feel smarter when he’s done. He manages to turn everything to a teachable moment – and that’s fantastic for all of us. Now if the republicans would just start listening and stop whining that they lost the election, maybe we could all get smarter and make some real progress.

After your hilarious posts about Anne Coulter I went to try and look at a copy in the bookstore (not to buy you understand – just look) when I asked the assistants if they stocked any of her books they looked at me strangely and I had to leave swiftly

During jury duty the lady next to me was reading AnnCoulters book, how to talk to a liberal. I waited until after lunch and several friendly conversations where she obviously liked me….then….I proceeded to tell her I was a liberal…Ann Coulter was crazy….Cheney was the devil…..etc. She actually listed to my thoughts during our break and hopefully I gave her something to think about. Baby steps I know but in Texas you have to pick your moments.

If you are reading this AND you are motivated to help with some of “the work there is to do,” then go check out http://www.barackobama.com and sign in to the “Organizing for America” (OFA) section. Amazing amounts of do-able options will present themselves to you. Do what you can, when you can. Last week, with contact info provided by OFA, I emailed and called all my Senate and House Reps to voice my support of Obama’s proposed budget. It took all of 15 minutes to let them know that, yes, I support a budget that focuses on Energy, Healthcare and Education as well as Economic reform and stimulus. Hurray! a president who can multi-task, surrounds himself with other leaders who can multi-task, and knows that we the people can as well. Now, go and do!

I like Obama very much, and I think he is working very hard. I was thinking about this the other day, and wondered, “Why am I so happy Obama is in the WH?” I think one of the main reasons is that he is such a contrast with GWB. The man can speak, he’s smart, he seems to really care! This is in such sharp contrast to W that it makes my head twirl, and the other part of me is just so relieved that he has gone back to Texas! I say, God bless Obama, and I wish him well. Now, to get through this darn economic crisis!

One tiny point here: Harvey, Michelle Malkin is an American, of Asian ancestry. She was born in Philadelphia to Filipino parents. I don’t like her either, but I don’t like that kind of identification. As I say, it’s a small point.

Thank you again for your clear and no BS assessment of what is happening in our world. I too still have those moments of OH MY GOD WHAT DID WE DO when thinking of Dubya as not only our president but the leader of the free world! and I shudder every time. With Obama I feel like the dark cloud has finally lifted and we the people are finally waking to our true potential. Now lets see if we will have the fortitude to hold the previous administration accountable for the misdeeds or will we allow others like Spain to clean up our moral mess?

A couple of points: Great Post Margaret…. but take heart! The same lawyer in Spain that had Pinochet indited for crimes against his own people, is apparently looking into having charges laid against those Amercians who approved the policy of torture. Seems two of the prisoners at Git-mo were Spanish and came home with stories of water boarding and such. That’s a crime against their Spanish citizens and the charges will be laid in the Hague against the instigators who approved such tactics ( which are against international laws). So, some of these fine upstanding Amercian leaders will be come war criminals. “Will that be a noose or the firing squad for you?” Better be careful where you travel to…. a prison cell might be the end destination!

Up here in Canada, our prime Minister, Stephen Harper, is a jerk and has far right policies ( and similar religious views as Shrub). We as tax payers hear very little of his Govt’s polices as he keeps a tight lid on all news coming out. So how do we get our information on what he thinks on issues like our soldiers in Afghanistan? He gives interviews on FOX network in the States! He’s flown down twice now and given them interviews while at home all we get is a wall of silence.
This would be the same news network that had those idiots make fun of the Canadian military the same day 4 war dead were arriving home. Beyond bad taste! For both the jerk at Fox and for our prime minister to use that network to share his views.

We need you and Helen up here! Does Obama have a twin brother? Where have all the men of moral fibre gone? The natural leaders who make you proud? The followers of men like Shrub and Harper make my skin crawl….

Helen, I couldn’t agree with you more. Not only was he an idiot, but unfortunately, we’re only beginning to see the tip of the iceburg in terms of the devastation that his administration caused, and will continue to cause.

God forbid Obama and his administration take intelligent, bold measures to try and fix the reckless, sneaky injustices that the Bush administration served up to us in heaps.

Why doesn’t this country want us to be happy? Why does the media only illicit our worst fears and instigate our fury?

I voted for Obama because I wanted the exact change the he and his administration are currently bringing to our nation.

You’re right, we do need to pay attention. In addition, we need to redirect our anger and frustration towards the idiot that caused it all to begin with.

Problem with the GW Bush library is what to put in:
A library named after a guy that can’t read (rumor has it that was the reason he stopped using teleprompters….) is a bit of an oxiMoron, No?
(Well he did manage that part without the “oxi” pretty well).

I think we stick with the Center Idea, really like that one, and sell the Guano part to Pro-Livers? (Guano = Fertilizer = Pro-“live”?)

I think ALL AMERICANS that support his moves and ideas, never mind which party, should send emails to the White House and let Obama KNOW how much you support his moves, this guy needs ALL THE SUPPORT he can get, he get’s shit enough from “the other idiots”!

I and all the other foreigners can only voice our agreement, but we don’t count as much!

Do your good deed today and send him a nice mail, he might not have time to read them all, but he will sure hear about them, and if that makes him feel better only for a minute, well that should give him an engery boost, No?

I have similar thoughts every day. How did we let it happen? I think back to that election night (the second time….2004) when I sat outside a casino waiting for the valet to bring the car back. We were in a large group of Democrats, the election votes hadn’t been counted yet, and I was so sure we’d be rid of George W. by the morning because we’d fought so hard. I was ready to move to Canada the next day but couldn’t. You wanta know an even worse thought? What if Obama hadn’t won this time! ?????????????????????????????????????????????????

” We elected Obama and that was a very good thing, but I am only now just fully realizing how bad it had gotten in this country. Roll up your sleeves because President Obama is going to need all the help he can get.”

Helen, another great post and thanks for above statement which reminds us to stay tuned as Michael Moore commented in his recent letter.

Nothing like it has ever happened. The President of the United States, the elected representative of the people, has just told the head of General Motors — a company that’s spent more years at #1 on the Fortune 500 list than anyone else — “You’re fired!”

I simply can’t believe it. This stunning, unprecedented action has left me speechless for the past two days. I keep saying, “Did Obama really fire the chairman of General Motors? The wealthiest and most powerful corporation of the 20th century? Can he do that? Really? Well, damn! What else can he do?!”

This bold move has sent the heads of corporate America spinning and spewing pea soup. Obama has issued this edict: The government of, by, and for the people is in charge here, not big business. John McCain got it. On the floor of the Senate he asked, “What does this signal send to other corporations and financial institutions about whether the federal government will fire them as well?” Senator Bob Corker said it “should send a chill through all Americans who believe in free enterprise.” The stock market plunged as the masters of the universe asked themselves, “Am I next?” And they whispered to each other, “What are we going to do about this Obama?”

Not much, fellows. He has the massive will of the American people behind him — and he has been granted permission by us to do what he sees fit. If you liked this week’s all-net 3-pointer, stay tuned.

for the first time since I read this blog I am in a (ever so slight) disagreement with you (Not that you give a hoot, but read on, I still might make you smile ;-))

Quoting form your marvelous blog, please read “between the lines”:

……When Rush Limbaugh stands up, we need to insist that he sit down…..

Nope, this is where I disagree:

When HE gets up the only thing we have to do is get great-great granddads battle axt and chop of his head! (You can mutter in french while you do it, if this makes you feel more revolutionary!)

….When Ann Coulter writes a book, we need to let it collect dust on the shelf….

This is defenitly an idea but I think we can very much improof on this:
How about INSTANT recycling? Book gets’ printed, counted, bought by repug institution and immediatly mashed to pulp again, re-manufactured to paper and re-printed.
All are happy and we’d save thousands of trees that way.
She keeps the illusion that she is a great author, the repugs keep the illusion that they support a great cause (and get the recycle bonus thrown in on top of it) and the public has so much less mental cases since no one needs to actually reed that shit anymore? Sounds like a plan? let’s get to it!

….When Mitch McConnell tells us that torture is still needed, we need not be shocked – we need to be outraged…..

And maybe torture him a bit?
Just a teeny weeny bit, please?

….And when Cheney offers an opinion we need to hide the punch bowl and direct him to the nearest men’s room.

Who let’s this guy anywhere NEAR the punch bowl should be brought in court for POTENTUAL food poisoning!

…..Actually Mitch, now that I think of it, you’re right. We’d like to keep Guantanamo open, but we would like to replace its current occupants with you, Cheney, Rush and that Cantor kid from Virginia
…..
Right on!
Can I send you “Petite Georges” (Stephen Harper) too?
I think he’d be happy to play with the big boyz!

Not WAS, still IS but at least he’s no longer relevant moving forward! It’s going to take us a loooooong time and a lot of hard work to unwind all of the turds he laid over the last 8 years, especially with the number of idiots out there still willing to vote for the same GOP candidates and policies that got us into this mess.

You are certainly doing your part though, Helen! Keep up the good work of calling out the turds when you see them!

What a joy to go to your website and see a new post this morning! I almost laughed myself to death over the Dick Cheney/punch bowl line…you really know how to use dry wit to make a great point. Helen, maybe you should get your own radio show and compete with Rush?

Well you guys know that daddy Bush bought his son’s way through the ivy league schools…. See The Bush Dyslexicon a book by Mark Crispin Miller for details…. Ironically the book was written back in 2000 and published in 01. Ironically having an uncanny way of predicting the future at that point…

Its a good read. I highly recommend it!

Anne from TN- We all know that money talks and most “Yalie’s” do college the old fashioned way. They are smart, work their butts off, and when they get that degree they are damned intelligent. Even at my school ISU…. we do things the old fashioned way here too. Yeah, its not Yale but we learn nevertheless. Don’t be hurt by one insane exception to the rule. Be proud that you got through Yale the old fashioned way. It will serve you well in the future!

Helen- as always its been a hoot. Like you I wish the republicans would just shut their traps and chill out. Hell I will even purchase and send the roll of duct tape that it will take for Rush Limbaugh to shut his trap priority overnight mail in a heartbeat! Just give me the address where to send it to!!!! I like the suggestion about Gitmo too…

I think the worst thing about the republicans spewing their version of shit into the airwaves is that they are making many (not all) of their followers into paranoid, overprotective, cynical, psychotic moralists…..

My mom over spring break was telling me about a couple of her coworkers who are paranoid, listen to Rush and spew their own version of their shit to everyone else. The one lady bought a gun because blah blah blah the economy is going to get worse and then people are going to resort to crime and shes gotta protect her daughter and Obama is going to take away their guns…. YEAH RIGHT!!!!!!!

I didn’t say anything at the time because in my position as a senior crew member at my workplace I really can’t, but one of my coworkers was talking to another coworker of mine and was telling him that he better get his house fixed and paid for now because Obama is going to jack up the taxes on it…. And then he said that the house will be worth twice as much in 4 years as it is now. Paranoid!!!! All I gotta say is that if we were not at work, I would have argued with him big time!

I am sure that there are plenty of other instances of paranoia that we have all experienced when we walk out the door and run into a diehard republican…. especially a Rush Limbaugh fan!

Either way… We all need to make sure that whoever our president is or will be…. At bare minimum make sure that the president is intelligent enough to make his way through a sentence without a teleprompter! Of course I expect higher standards than that and we all should…. but shame on the American public for allowing that to be our leader! Even those who voted for Kerry and Gore… I almost wonder if there wasn’t more that we could have done at the time! I voted for Kerry and I was too young at the time to vote for Gore, and I volunteered for my county’s democratic party during the 04 election, but in the back of my mind I wonder if we couldn’t have done more.

Thank goodness for the two of you – I needed to read something sensible this morning.

“The very idea of a nation united behind its leader is just more than they can stand. ”

No, they’d just like it to be the leader they choose. They wanted us to support Geordie and his band of henchmen. Now they are howling a different tune.

I’m also a Yalie and can attest that those who are here on merit are articulate and thoughtful. Because of need-blind admission more smart people and fewer in-bred legacies are graduating. Not to say there isn’t the normal amount of campus idiocy but on the whole they are a remarkable bunch.

{{avoidingstasis}} Sincerest Sympathy for your loss, Dear.

RE: “PS any ideas on how to help Obama keep all his balls in the air?” The smart-a$$ answer is “Stand on his head!”

“My God George W. Bush was an idiot. Did we really let that happen… not once but twice? Margaret, do you ever have thoughts like that?”

I know *I* do.

I traveled to Frankfurt on business right before the time of the 2004 elections. Publishers, editors, writers, illustrators, etc. from all over the world gathered in the biggest convention hall that exists (as far as I know). My job was to buy U.S. publishing rights for foreign books we were interested in.

At EVERY. SINGLE. MEETING. I had, someone begged me not to vote for that moron. I didn’t, I assure you. And I still shake my head in disbelief over his “winning” of that election.

Avoiding Stasis, I am sorry for your loss. Although there is nothing that can be said to ease your pain really, I hope that you find comfort in a quote by Benjamin Franklin “I look upon death to be as necessary to our constitution as sleep. We shall rise refreshed in the morning.”

LOL! He also said, “A learned blockhead is a greater blockhead than an ignorant one.” Wonder if that was prophecy for the last few years?

I hated Bush back when he was governor of Texas. He started his illustrious career in lying back then. The reporters asked him profusely if he was going to run for President and he repeatedly told them no. And then guess what happened.

I hated Bush so much that I stopped watching the news. I just couldn’t stand it! He embarrassed me, not only for my state (Texas), but for my country. The Dixie Chicks were on to something!

Now I watch the news every day. I am inspired to be more active in my civic duties. The civic depression I felt is gone because a real leader is in the White House.

Is he perfect? No! (I really could have done without the Special Olympics bowling joke). He is human. Making an insensitive gaffe is something that happens to us all (I mean, who here hasn’t stuck their foot in their mouth?)

But the fact is, Obama is a Constitutional scholar, and avid fighter for human rights, and a person who has experienced difficult circumstances (like living in Indonesia) that ol’ silver spoon George just can’t fathom.

the other nite Jon Stewart had Jack Cafferty as a guest and they decided that we can still blame Shrub for anything that goes wrong because if he, Shrub, had been a decent president we’d not have voted in Obama .. so once again its Bush’s fault .. a good thing for those of us who feel uneasy without someone to blame … I am sort of kidding ..

I love living in a democracy but how nice would it be for one short day to live in a dictatorship where naysayers like Rush, McConnell, Cheney et al could be tried for treason? Really really really nice .. really

Reminds me of Oliver Cromwell and the turning of the tide in Britain some centuries back.
I taught my students the other day that the king just gave in and the rest is history.
But we’ve still got work to do………..

Dear Helen and Margaret,
since my husband died three weeks ago, your posts are often the only events that can bring a smile to my life. You are truly wonderful friends, with each other and all the rest of us lucky enough to know of you.
Please keep the spikey, wake-’em-up posts coming, and thanks!
Carolyn
PS any ideas on how to help Obama keep all his balls in the air?

Helen and Margaret, you two are my favorite read. Quite a bit considering that I am the webmaster for a senior citizens forum group. LOL

I would like to contigute two more names to that group you are gathering up to be sent to that vacation spot in Cuba.
I refer to: Boehner of Ohio and Michelle Malkin the Asian Ann Coulter. There are several others, but we would have to expand the prison camp……

Hmmm, not a bad idea, put all the asshats in there….. They wanted to do that to us! Payback’s a bitch>

As a Yalie I feel obligated to stand up for the majority of our ilk and let you know that most of us can, in fact, speak and write intelligently. That said, you rock, Helen!

Part of our problem right now is that W. lowered the bar so much that as a country we’re deplorably out of shape when it comes to rising to any occasion, never mind an honorable one behind our amazing current president. Not only do we need to roll up our sleeves, we need to be as visible and availalbe as Verizon’s much touted “network.”

Helen, you are right as usual. While it is thrilling to have an intelligent, well spoken statesman as our leader, we need to be wary of getting complacent and “misunderestimating” Cheney, Rush, even Palin – the usual suspects and gang o’ creeps. A little less back patting and a little more back watching from all of us is indicated – did we not learn in 2000 that elections can be stolen and that the neocons will stop at nothing to hang on to the power and drive their agenda, regardless of the cost to the environment, the economy, and, oh yes, the global human family? A timely heads-up from you, my dear Helen, and very well said.

The US is not on the Human Rights Council? WTF? Thank goodness America finally came to its senses and elected someone with a functioning brain. The GOP with the mighty Rush-To-Judgment at the helm is both jealous and dumbfounded that the country and the world are happy, excited, and – dare I say – inspired by true leadership. So, what do they do? Their lowlife best to dismantle and put down the one man who has brought hope and positivity to the world. F* them – if they’re committed to failure, that’s what they’re going to get. But the failure will be that of the GOP, not of Obama and the great possibilities he represents and is committed to. Always remember the “moral majority” is neither.

Ah, it’s always a good day when there’s a new post! Helen, you are so right! I also had assumed the US was on the United Nations Human Rights Council. I think getting a seat there, and actually doing something with it, will really help repair the lousy image that GWB created for us with his pro-torture policies. McConnell obviously doesn’t get out much if he really thinks that most Americans want to keep Guantanamo open.